No Mercy
by lawslave
Summary: An old friend comes back into town to torment our favorite couple as they settle into married life. Another story in the 'One of Our Own' universe.
1. Chapter 1

_This story has been in the pipeline for a very long time and I'm thrilled to finally start posting it. Thanks to BlueBlood82 and her awesome dad for the feedback on this one!_

 _Please leave a review, they make us happy, not only to know our story is hopefully being enjoyed, but to take any criticism and use it to improve our writing. :)_

 _This story takes part in the 'One of Our Own' universe in between 'Laugh Often, Love Much' and 'Waiting on You' when Eddie and Jamie are still newlyweds (a full listing of the stories in this universe has been added to my profile page). Most of the story takes place approx. six months after their wedding. An incident from_ _'Laugh Often, Love Much' is the trigger for the events in this story, so I would recommend reading that first just so that it makes sense, but it's not absolutely necessary._

Chapter 1

Eric Weller followed the young woman who had accompanied him home around his small apartment as she searched for her scattered belongings. "Come on, sweetie. There's no reason for you to go. Spend the night with me," he pleaded, giving her his signature puppy dog eyes. "I'll make it worth your while," he promised seductively as he reached for the brunette's tiny waist.

The coed giggled, but slid out of his grasp and placed a well manicured hand against her new acquaintance's bare chest. "You already did, Eric, but I really gotta go. I have a full day of classes tomorrow," she said with an exaggerated pout. "I had fun, though. Maybe we can hook up this weekend?"

Eric sighed in disappointment. "Alright."

"See ya," the woman said with a quick kiss to his lips before walking out the apartment door.

"Yeah...see you later," Eric said as he watched her sachet down the hall, stopping short of saying her name as he realized he wasn't certain of what it was.

Eric closed the door behind Sarah...or was it Sandy? He shrugged and rubbed the heels of his hands against his eyes. It was highly unlikely he'd get any girl to spend the night if he didn't learn their names first. He was getting a little tired of waking up alone every morning; Eric was a player by nature, but these days, that was starting to feel really old. Who would of thought the day would come that he, of all people, would have any sort of yearning to settle down? In the end, though, old habits were hard to break and Eric was never one to put a lot of effort into breaking the ones that even he knew had to go.

Resigned to fact that he'd be solo again tonight, Eric eyed his tiny one bedroom apartment with disdain before heading over to the couch. He lit up the joint he'd shared earlier with Sarah-Sandy and took a long drag, holding it in for several long moments until he began to feel himself relax again. Eric slowly blew out a breath as he let his head roll back...yeah, this was one of those old habits that were really hard to break, but this was nothing compared to some of the other things he'd gotten into before. Eric placed the joint back in the ashtray, trading it for his trusty laptop as he reclined against the back of the sofa in a comfortable slouch, balancing the computer across his lap as he waited for it to start up. It was sad, he thought. When he got lonely, he'd resort to scouring the internet for news from back home. He would soak in any articles he could get online just to see what was happening back in his hometown, missing the city and the life he had there every single day.

His life these days consisted of mindless work managing a chain restaurant where he had no real say in how to run the place, obligated to work under strict corporate guidelines, and random hookups with any coed he could charm with his big city talk. And sometimes that got boring considering how easy it was. Life in a small college town left a lot to be desired for a savvy guy like him, as far as he was concerned. There were no real thrills and challenges. That, along with the fact that he now had no contact with his family, sometimes made him feel like he was close to saying the hell with all of it; he'd come very close to doing just that several times already.

Eric's foggy brain was slow to realize his computer was up and running between the weed and the pity party going on in his head, but he was quick to bring up the first site he had bookmarked on the browser: _The New York Post_. He always felt a little closer to home when he read the Post. Eric casually ran a hand through his wavy hair as the site loaded, but froze suddenly when a familiar face popped up on the home page.

"Holy crap," Eric whispered as he sat up. The marijuana haze quickly evaporated leaving him stone cold sober and staring into the blue eyes of someone he once considered a friend but turned out to be nothing but a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Eric skimmed the headline and the inset, his eyes then focusing back on his one-time buddy. "Jameson Reagan...so that's your real name," Eric whispered to himself as he clicked the link to the day's front page story. He couldn't read it fast enough, his eyes widening further when the story claimed he was the son of the city's police commissioner. "You've gotta be freaking kidding me!"

Jameson Reagan was getting married, but Eric skimmed over the parts about his bride and his soon to be father-in-law's white collar crimes, more interested in learning all he could about the man that had once saved his life. "So you go by Jamie," he mumbled as he read on, laughing humorlessly as he thought of his cover.

When he was done, Eric cursed himself. He'd been right when he told him he'd recognized him that first night at the bar. He never forgot a face, but he had forgotten where he had seen his particular face and he doubted this was the first time the son of New York's Police Commissioner was splashed across the pages of a major city paper.

Now that he new his real name, Eric entered it into the search engine on the Post's website, surprised at the number of stories that popped up. He clicked on the first link and realized this was it. It came back to him now, this was the newspaper article he'd seen with Jamie Reagan's departmental photo on the cover after he chased some gang banger into Chinatown traffic.

Eric got lost in it all, clicking on link after link, running a wider search on Jameson Reagan and his career with the NYPD, finding an almost endless amount of information and images - a Harvard-educated lawyer turned cop who graduated at the top of his academy class as the youngest son of the sitting PC, the investigation into that Chinatown accident, suspensions for misconduct, injuries sustained after he was targeted by some nut job with a grudge against cops and a jewelry store heist and hostage situation amongst others. It was a lot to take in, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Jamie Reagan's whole adult life, both personal and professional were fully available to him on the internet. As a member of New York City Police royalty, he and his family were constant fodder for an endless number of local blogs and gossip sites...he couldn't get enough.

Eric sat back, rubbing his burning, tired eyes after staring at the screen for what felt like hours as a sudden wave of anger overcame him. He was sitting in some ratty apartment in Hicktown, Colorado, separated from his family, forced to leave his growing business and the great life he had built for himself in New York City, and all because he was duped by some stupid baby-faced cop?

Much like everything else in his life, he lay the blame for his misfortune on others. And all he could think about right now was that Jamie Reagan was leading a seemingly charmed life, getting ready to marry the love of his life and live happily ever after while he led a miserable existence hidden away in the sticks of middle America. He went against his family to save himself and for what, to live in hell anyway? He might have been better off taking his chances with his murderous family.

And like with all who dared to cross Noble Sanfino, Jamie Reagan now became the sole focus of his wrath, determined to give Officer Jimmy a little payback.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks to all who reviewed! I really think Noble is a character they need to bring back to wreak a little havoc. There was so much venom in that last look he gave Jamie as he was being led away. If only the BB writers would listen to all of my suggestions. :)_

Chapter 2

 _Six Months Later_

Sean stuffed an enormous slice of ham into his mouth and closed his eyes as he savored his favorite dish. He was a lot like his father, especially when it came to his eating habits, something that didn't escape his uncle's attention as he got a front row seat to it almost every week from his customary chair at the end of the table across from him. "Mmmmm, this is the best ham ever, pops," he praised around the half-masticated piece of meat.

"Doesn't take much to please him," Jack snarked next to his brother.

"Thanks a lot, Jack," Henry huffed, narrowing his eyes at his great-grandson as he feigned insult.

"Just kidding, pops," Jack smiled back.

"Your kids are easy to please," Erin shot from across the table to her older brother and sister-in-law.

"Thank God for that," Danny mumbled while hunched over his plate, barely missing a stride in shoveling large quantities of food into his mouth.

Linda eyed the newlyweds on the other end of the table as she cut up the food on her plate and asked a question that most everyone else around her wondered about. "So when are you two going to start having some little ones?"

Jamie and Eddie glanced at Linda as if to confirm that the question was indeed directed at them before trading a quick look and laughing nervously.

Jamie swallowed and smiled back at his sister-in-law. "We just got married like yesterday," he answered for the both of them. It really wasn't on their radar right now. They both wanted a family, but hadn't discussed the when. And it was definitely too soon after the wedding to start trying.

"It's been six months," Frank stated and then took a bite from his roasted potatoes. He grinned at Jamie and Eddie when they both looked in his direction. He couldn't wait for his youngest son and his new daughter-in-law to add a new member to the family. It had been far too long since they had a little one around the house.

"What's the rush?" Eddie asked innocently while looking around the table. Her brow wrinkled as she reached for her wine glass, wondering how many times her mother had asked her that question already.

"Rush is we need a baby to spoil and you two are our only chance for one right now," Erin explained with a smirk. She and Linda were just itching for a baby they could fawn all over and then hand back to their parents at the end of the day.

"They're not the only ones, sis," Danny snickered around a mouthful of cornbread.

Erin couldn't help the laughter that burst from her mouth as her fork clattered to her plate. "Oh, yes they are. I can assure you of that," she said leaving no room for discussion. "I got a kid almost in college and have no plans to start over," pausing to get her daughter's attention, "and a kid in college who is far too young to have any kids of her own."

Henry glanced across the table at his son as he chuckled to himself.

"That would be weird," Nicky told at her mother with a look of horror as she went back to her dinner. "And no way I want any kids any time soon."

"Good to hear," Erin replied.

"It's the next natural step in life," Frank said as he eyed the newlyweds again. His sly grin playful while also making it clear that a baby would be a welcome addition.

"Not now," Jamie shrugged as he peeked over at his wife. "There are things we want to do before we have kids."

"Like what?" Henry asked. In his day, you got married and had kids, that was it. These days, people seemed to wait longer and longer to have children. He thought it was more fun to be a young parent than to be chasing after a toddler when you're practically middle-aged.

"Travel some more, maybe," Eddie offered.

"You just had a honeymoon in Costa Rica," Danny reminded them. His brother had certainly taken his advice and planned a hell of a trip for himself and his new wife, benefiting from some of the contacts from his well-connected groomsman, Spencer. Danny had been a little jealous of the week long tropical vacation which had included some R and R at a beachside resort sprinkled in with some more adventurous activities. But they both deserved the trip after the stress of planning a wedding.

"Yeah and that was only one of a million places we want to visit," Jamie argued.

"How come you get asked about babies the second after you get married?" Eddie wondered.

"It's some unwritten rule," Linda quipped as she recalled hearing the same question over and over from both of their families after she and Danny were married.

"Yeah. Two minutes after we got married, Linda's mom was already asking about grandkids," Danny shared.

"Mom was making subtle jokes about grandkids while she helped me get ready on my wedding day," Erin said while sharing a fond smile with her father.

"Yup, your mom was ready for grandkids as soon as you got engaged," Frank grinned.

"Get used to it. Until you pop one out, people won't stop asking," Danny warned.

"Maybe we should so they stop," Eddie joked.

Henry waved his fork in the air as he cleared his mouth. "Nah, then that just gets people asking when you're going to have the next one. You know? So the first one's not all alone," he stated.

"It sounds like an endless, vicious cycle," Jamie sighed to his wife as the rest of the family looked on in amusement.

* * *

Eddie shut the passenger's side door of the Mustang and waited on the sidewalk for Jamie to join her. She looked up into the clear October night sky and pulled her light jacket closed as a chilly breeze threatened to send a shiver down her back.

"You cold?" Jamie asked as he brought his arm around her shoulders and Eddie snaked an arm around his waist in return.

"A little," she admitted as they walked toward their building. "So what do you think about the whole kid thing?" she inquired.

Jamie's brow furrowed at the question. "What do I think?" he repeated.

"Yeah. We've never really sat down and had a serious talk about it. Now that we're married it's what everyone asks about," Eddie said as she looked up at her husband's nervous face. "All the time."

"So I've seen," he sighed.

"Well?" Eddie prodded.

"What do you think?" Jamie asked.

"I asked you first, Reagan," she huffed in annoyance.

"I asked you second," he fired back jokingly, but caved when Eddie stopped at the entrance to their building to glare at him. "Okay, okay. Well, I definitely want a family with you, but...not right now?" he answered in an uncertain tone, afraid of saying the wrong thing. The door to the building opened behind him as man quickly exited, a hoodie covering his head has he walked while hunched over the smartphone in his hand. Jamie paid him no attention, reaching instead to snag the door before it closed completely on them, pulling it back open for his wife.

"Is that a question or an answer?" Eddie asked as she walked through the lobby.

Jamie pursed his lips and thought carefully before he replied. "An answer," he confirmed.

"I'm glad to hear that," Eddie smiled.

"Wait. Did you think I wanted kids right now?"

"Well, no," Eddie shrugged while they waited for the elevator to arrive. "But as often as we get asked, I thought maybe you'd started to think about it more. Is there something wrong with us for not wanting that right now?" she asked while stepping into the car.

Jamie pressed a button on the panel and shook his head. "Nothing wrong with wanting to enjoy married life a little before we have kids. But it will be something when we do," he smiled fondly.

Eddie snorted. "It'll be something alright. I'll get fat and waddle and probably look even shorter than I do now," she predicted. No one in her group of friends had kids yet so she could only guess about what pregnancy would really be like...God only knew what was in store for her there.

"Nah, you'll be sexier when you're pregnant and I won't be able to keep my hands off you," Jamie said as he pulled her in for a hug and kissed the top of her head.

"You better say that or the hormones that come with pregnancy may have me hurting you," Eddie laughed. "So we're on the same page?" she asked when the doors slid open.

"Yeah," he confirmed.

"I vote we revisit the topic in a year. No pressure for now," she suggested while walking down the hall, arm in arm with Jamie.

"Right now we just enjoy being married...and, you know, we practice making the baby without making the baby," he said with a suggestive smile as he unlocked the door to the apartment.

Eddie rolled her eyes and laughed at his expression as he let her in first. "As if practice was necessary," she commented while slipping out of her jacket.

Jamie locked the door behind him and followed her further into the apartment. "No, but it's fun," he smirked. All of a sudden, the smile on his face disappeared and was replaced with a look of unease as he stopped in the middle of the apartment. Jamie's brows knitted together as he scanned the room suspiciously.

Eddie was pulling her blouse from the waistband of her jeans when she noticed Jamie had gone silent. "What's the matter?"

Jamie shook his head, not knowing why something felt off to him, but nothing appeared out of place. "Not sure. Just got a weird vibe when we walked in," he explained.

"Spidey senses running rampid again?" Eddie joked as she approached him.

"Nah," he sighed and shook off the strange feeling.

"Well, I'm taking a shower before bed. Let me know if you want to start practicing tonight," Eddie whispered as she rose onto her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his lips before walking away, stripping out of her top as she went.

Jamie's eyes widened as Eddie unhooked her bra with one quick twist of her wrist. "I think we may end up with a kid sooner rather than later," Jamie muttered to himself as he followed her into the bathroom, his unease quickly forgotten.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jamie plugged his earbuds into his cell and selected the playlist he'd carefully crafted for his early morning runs. With plans to meet up with JC and some of the other guys from his old precinct for beers after tour, he was looking forward to getting some cardio in before work. The guitar riff to his favorite AC/DC song began blasting as he locked the apartment door behind him. Jamie was headed toward the elevator when a small, dark mound on the floor caught his attention just before he went to take his next step. "Oh, Jesus!" he shrieked and scampered quickly to his right to avoid trampling over it. Jamie ended up pressed against the wall as he stared down at the large, dead rat in his path and placed his hand over his racing heart. Growing up in New York and often having to chase perps down dark, filthy alleys, he wasn't one to normally startle at the sight of rodents, he just wasn't expecting to see one on his way out of his apartment and so early in the morning.

Jamie brought his hands up to his hips and let out a heavy sigh. _That was strange, they never had any problems with pests in the building before_ , he thought. He glanced down both ends of the deserted hallway; Eddie and a few of his other female neighbors certainly would not appreciate the sight and being the gentleman that he was, he decided it probably would be best if he got rid of it instead of letting the super take his time with the task. Jamie blew out a heavy breath as he turned back toward the apartment and into the kitchen in search of a dustpan and garbage bag.

That was how Eddie found him when she shuffled out of their bedroom, releasing a large yawn as she went to meet him. "You decided to come back to bed, didn't you?" she smirked, referring to her attempts to talk him out of his early morning run a short while ago.

Jamie looked up to meet his wife's smiling eyes. "No, as convincing as you were, I'm still planning to get a run in," he laughed.

"What are you doing?" she asked when she reached the kitchen, jutting her chin out at the items in his hands.

"There's a giant, dead rat in the hall way," he informed her. Maybe he was exaggerating it's size, but it was big nonetheless. "I barely made it one step out the door before the thing scared the crap out of me."

"Gross," Eddie grimaced as she fixed herself a cup of coffee. "Outside our door?"

"Not right in front, kind of in between ours and Leah's."

"Nasty. I'm glad you went out there first, Reagan," Eddie said as she took her cup to the living room and turned on the morning news, leaving him to his clean-up duties.

"Thanks, Janko," Jamie huffed with mock annoyance as he made his way back out the door.

"Hey, if you would have stayed in bed like I wanted you to, it could have been someone else's problem!"

* * *

Eddie stared wide-eyed at the ceiling of their bedroom. It was two o'clock in the morning and she was desperate for an uninterrupted, full night's sleep after a week filled with extended tours. At her wit's end, she pulled the pillow out from under her head and pressed it firmly over her face before letting out a muffled cry of frustration.

Jamie snorted beside her, although he was equally annoyed with the disturbance. "This is like the third time this week," he commented as a rhythmic thumping sound came from the wall behind their headboard, the one they shared with their neighbor's bedroom which seemed to be a hub of activity as of late.

"Guess Leah's got a new friend," Eddie replied, her face still hidden under the pillow.

"Yeah, one who has no regard for her neighbors," Jamie huffed.

Eddie lifted the pillow and raised a brow at Jamie, which went completely unnoticed in the darkened room. "Really? Cause it's just him in there, huh?" Eddie shot back, preferring to lay blame on all parties involved.

"Just saying…that's never been an issue before."

"That we knew of," Eddie sniped, instantly regretting how that came out. Their neighbor, Leah, was a young, professional who was very pleasant any time they crossed paths with her in the building and Eddie didn't think any less of her because she had an active social life, she just preferred not to know about it. "I didn't mean that, I'm just tired and grumpy."

"I know," Jamie said as he reached for her hand.

"We gotta say something, Reagan. I'm gonna be the walking dead on tour tomorrow…well today actually."

"Yeah, I agree. You should do it."

"Me?! Why me?" Eddie squawked.

"Cause you're a girl," Jamie replied.

"Yeah, so?"

"Leah's a girl. I can't be the one to go over there and tell her to pipe down when she's got company. That would be awkward."

"And it won't be awkward for me?"

"Maybe a little," Jamie shrugged. "If she were a guy, I would do it," he reasoned.

"Lucky you," Eddie sighed. "I'll see if she's around tomorrow after work."

Jamie was staring at the ceiling when a smirk spread across his face and he turned toward Eddie. "We could always show them how its really done," he joked while running a few fingers up and down her arm.

Eddie chuckled, rolling over to face him. "Nice try, Reagan. But I'm not up for any competitions tonight."

All of the sudden, the knocking stopped and peace settled over their bedroom once again. Jamie and Eddie stared at each other for a few seconds before breathing out a joint sigh of relief.

"Think they're really done?" Jamie asked.

"They better be or I might get tempted to have a look at this new guy for myself."

"Hey!"

* * *

 _Some very strange things are starting to happen, question is whether they're all related to Jamie's old friend..._


	4. Chapter 4

_Late update today, but here it is :)_

Chapter 4

Jamie slid off the gurney in the small treatment room of the urgent care center near his apartment. This had been the last place he expected to end up after an already long and exhausting day on patrol with his new rookie. With Eddie out for the night with her best friend, Haley, he'd gone home alone to an empty apartment with plans to fix himself something quick to eat and then lose himself in whatever football or basketball game he could find on TV. He should have skipped the food all together and just passed out on the couch, because if not for the stupid dinner he'd thrown together, he'd be relaxing at home and not in an urgent care center with a sore backside.

"Jamie?" Eddie called out as she tentatively pulled open the privacy curtain, relieved when she found him up and around. She'd panicked as soon as she saw his text letting her know he was at urgent care dealing with his allergy. It had been years since he'd had a reaction, another reason she was so surprised by the message. They had still been partners when a stupid waiter put olives in his chopped salad. That incident also necessitated a trip to urgent care - at her insistence because he claimed he was fine, but the massive hives that broke out across his face and down his neck said otherwise. "Hey, are you okay?"

"What are you doing here?" Jamie asked in surprise. He didn't expect her to show up, but regardless he was still glad to see her.

"What do you think I'm doing here?" she replied with a roll of her eyes as she approached him. "I'm not gonna hangout at a bar while you're sitting in urgent care."

"I'm fine," he insisted, feeling more annoyed than anything else right now. He had purposely waited until after the doctor had seen him to let Eddie know what was going on. He assumed that he'd be treated with a shot and sent on his way after the medicine took effect, which is exactly what happened. Jamie didn't want to interrupt her night, but figured he'd get an earful if he waited until she got home to reveal his little mishap.

"Sure you are," Eddie said, deciding not to argue that issue. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Jamie grumped as he leaned back against the gurney, grimacing after he hit a particularly tender spot. "I made myself something to eat at home and as soon as I was done with the first few bites, I started with the hives and then my lips and tongue felt swollen," he explained while motioning to his face.

"Jeez," Eddie grimaced. "How did you get here?" she asked as she cupped his cheek. If there was any swelling, it was now gone, but he was still a little flushed.

"I cabbed it," Jamie replied.

"Seriously?!" Eddie exclaimed. "Why didn't you call me, Jamie?"

"Because it wasn't a big deal," he claimed.

"Oh yeah, it's not a big deal that you end up needing urgent care," she fired back sarcastically.

"It wasn't," Jamie repeated. "I took the antihistamine stuff at home, but it wasn't doing anything so I decided to come here just to be on the safe side." The hives he could have dealt with, but he'd been a little worried when the swelling came on and didn't go away.

Realizing he'd already had a hell of a night, Eddie decided to let that go for now too. "What they'd give you?"

"A shot," Jamie grimaced as he subconsciously rubbed at his hip.

"Ouch," Eddie hissed in sympathy and leaned in for a quick kiss. "Poor you. So what'd you eat?"

"I fixed myself some spaghetti. You'll have to clean up the dishes because I am not going near that stuff again."

"But it's olives that set you off. We don't keep anything with olives at home," Eddie commented as she thought about the stockpile in their pantry.

"I don't know, it was some jar sauce. Label said it was just tomato sauce, but guess they got a secret ingredient in there too," he groused, the lawyer in him thinking of the ways to make the company that jarred the sauce pay for his misery.

"I guess we're gonna have to read labels a little more closely," Eddie said as she looked up into his tired face. "Can I take you home now?"

Jamie reached for the discharge paperwork and folded it over until it was small enough to jam into his jacket pocket. "Please. I'm ready to crash and put this miserable day behind me," Jamie grumbled and placed his arm across her shoulders for some added support for what felt like a long trek home.

* * *

Officer Malcolm Burton escorted their grimey collar into the 12th Precinct just before the end of tour, tugging on his arm as the uncooperative man purposely fell behind on their way to meet the desk sergeant. "Let's go, before I tack on another charge," he ordered.

Eddie followed behind, eying the designer purse they'd confiscated from their perp. She was distracted as she considered how perfectly it matched a little dress she had hanging in her closet at home. Sadly, she realized it probably cost more than she would ever be able to spend on such an item.

"Sergeant Riley, meet Pavlo Moroz. We got him on strong-armed robbery and resisting arrest," Burton informed his superior.

"I stole nothing! It was mine!" Moroz grumbled from between his arresting officers.

"It never gets old," Burton chuckled as he accepted a clipboard from his boss.

Eddie snorted as she placed the stolen property in front of the desk sergeant. "Oh, yeah, because that orange, calfskin Ferragamo satchel goes _so_ well with the jacket your styling from the Army Navy Surplus fall line."

Burton raised a brow at at his partner.

"What?" Eddie asked. "I am a girl, you know."

"You sure are," their perp learned, earning him a shove into a nearby chair from Burton.

"Keep your trap shut," Burton ordered.

Eddie grimaced at the creepy smile their purse-snatcher was still sending her way when she caught Renzulli and JC huddled together, suspiciously grinning and whispering at each out of the corner of her eye. "What are you two smirking at?"

Burton turned toward Renzulli and the younger officer as the desk sergeant looked back at his computer to hide a knowing smile.

"Us? Oh, nothing," JC claimed with wide, innocent eyes.

Renzulli quickly replaced the grin with a blank, professional mask. "By the way, Officer Janko - uh, sorry, I mean, Officer Reagan," he corrected himself, finding old habits hard to break, "you got a delivery."

Eddie's brows immediately wrinkled in confusion. "Me? What I'd get?"

Renzulli pursed his lips as he felt another smirk forming. "Take a look for yourself," he said as he jutted his chin over toward the far corner of the room.

Eddie and Burton followed his line of sight, both flinching in surprise at the obnoxious floral arrangement sitting on an empty desk against the wall.

"Holy crap! Where'd that come from?" Eddie wondered out loud, but took no steps to find out.

"Beats me," Renzulli shrugged. "We didn't want to pry."

"Sure you didn't. That why you two are hanging out over here?" Eddie asked.

"Those are fugly!" Moroz offered.

"Shut it," Burton ordered and Moroz sank back in his chair at accompanying death glare from the male officer.

"Cruz bet it's from your husband," Renzulli shared.

A toothy grin formed on JC's face. He assumed that the arrangement was an ugly display of apology flowers. "Jamie in the dog house for something?"

"No," Eddie frowned as she finally stepped over to the bouquet in search of a card while Renzulli and JC followed behind. Burton remained next to their perp, but continued to observe curiously while he began to fill out the arrest report.

"I told him that really wasn't Harvard's style," Renzulli said.

"You would know, huh, Sarge?" Eddie inquired humorously as she located the small rectangular card.

"You ride with someone for two years, you know these things," Renzulli claimed.

Eddie's brow furrowed as she read the cryptic message. "That's weird...," Eddie whispered.

Renzulli frowned at the expression on his officer's face. "What is?"

Eddie shook her head and smiled back at her small audience. "You lost the bet, JC. That's not from Jamie."

"Damn it," JC huffed as he dug into one of his uniform's many pockets.

"Pay up, Cruz," Renzulli laughed as he held out an open palm. "Thank you, officer, now get back to work," he instructed as he counted the bills in his hand.

Eddie stared at the embarrassingly large arrangement of cheap white and blue filler flowers which sat in wicker basket. She couldn't help but think that it belonged at a funeral or a wake but quickly dismissed the thought as she looked down at the unsigned card in her hands.

"You alright, Eddie?" Renzulli asked quietly after noticing her concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Eddie claimed with a forced smile. She couldn't explain the strange feeling she had in the pit of her stomach and figured it would be easier to not bother trying.

However, Renzulli knew she wasn't fine. Something about the flowers had her off. "So who's it from?"

"Don't know. No name, Sarge," she advised, trying to appear nonchalant.

"Uh, oh...you got a secret admirer your husband should know about?" Renzulli joked.

"Yeah, no," Eddie smiled.

"Seriously...everything okay?" Renzulli prodded.

Eddie nodded as she stuffed the card in her pocket. "Yeah. I got to help Burton process our purse-snatcher," she replied and walked off leaving her CO frowning as he glanced back at the delivery.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Eddie was arranging some frozen rolls on a cookie sheet when another large yawn escaped suddenly, she then blinked owlishly to wake herself up a little bit more.

Linda was walking in from the sunroom and smiled when she caught Eddie rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "What is up with you two? Your husband is practically passed out on the couch. You have a wild night out or something?" she asked with a grin.

"I wish," Eddie sighed. She walked past Erin and placed the rolls in the hot oven before dropping back down onto her stool and leaning heavily against the countertop.

Erin and Linda looked at each other and then at Eddie, waiting for her to explain.

"Fire alarm went off in our building last night," Eddie revealed.

"Oh. Been there, not fun," Erin said with a pained smile as she checked on the pot roast.

Eddie placed her chin in the palm of her hand as she thought about their long, cold night standing out on the sidewalk across the street from their apartment building. "Yeah. We were both on swing yesterday and came home late, but couldn't fall asleep until after our neighbor was done entertaining."

"Entertaining? Was she having a party?" Linda questioned.

"She got a new boyfriend a few weeks back...they're really loud," Eddie said. Apparently the awkward conversation she'd been forced to have with Leah fell on deaf ears.

Erin snorted, not needing any further explanation. "Again...been there, not fun."

"Fun for the neighbor, not you two," Linda joked.

Eddie smiled and continued. "So we didn't fall asleep until really late only to wake up a little while later to evacuate the building while FDNY cleared the whole place from top to bottom."

"Thank God for my little house on Staten Island. I'm not up for apartment living anymore," Linda proclaimed.

"We didn't get back into bed until after seven," Eddie complained.

"You weren't kidding about the long night," Erin confirmed.

"Long, weird week," Eddie sighed as she stared thoughtfully into the distance.

"Weird how?" Linda inquired.

"I don't know, our neighbor keeping us up at odd hours, the fire alarm last night, Jamie ended up in urgent care on Wednesday -"

"Wait, what?" Erin interrupted, alarmed to hear that bit of news.

Linda turned concerned eyes onto her youngest sister-in-law. "What happened? Is he okay?" she asked while leaning back for a peek into the sunroom.

Guilt flashed across Eddie's face for unnecessarily worrying them. "He's fine," she assured them. "He just had and allergic reaction to something he ate."

"It's been a long time since that's happened, no?" Erin frowned as she thought of the one food that Jamie was allergic to.

"Yeah, like years. He ate something at home that shouldn't have had olives," Eddie said. She had read the ingredients on the jar of tomato sauce he'd opened that night and olives were definitely not listed on the label. But on further inspection of the contents of the jar, she saw and tasted green olive bits mixed throughout. Eddie shook her head in confusion before sharing the other odd thing that happened that week. "And then I got this weird delivery at the precinct on Friday."

Erin narrowed her eyes in curiosity. "What'd you get?"

"This ridiculously large and hideous flower arrangement. It was kind of embarrassing, it looked like it belonged in a funeral home or something," Eddie said.

"At the precinct?" Linda asked.

Eddie nodded, remembering the monstrosity of cheap blue and white flowers that had been left in the corner of the squad room while Renzulli and JC waited for her to return from patrol so that they could tease her about it.

"Jamie?" Erin guessed with a pinched expression, although her brother wasn't flashy with things like that.

"No. That was the weird part," she said, puzzled by the whole thing.

"Then who?" Linda wondered.

"No clue. There was a note but no name," Eddie said.

"What did it say?" Erin prodded, intrigued by the whole thing - Danny wasn't the only one that liked to play detective.

"'Sorry I missed your birthday. I'll catch you soon,'" Eddie recited from memory.

Linda took a seat next to Eddie. "That is weird. Your birthday was months ago."

"Yup. I racked my brain thinking about it but I can't figure it out." And it had bothered Jamie to no end as well. He'd become more concerned by the cryptic message, especially when they were unable to identify the sender. She dismissed his concerns in an attempt to put him at ease, but also couldn't help feeling thrown by the whole thing.

"No one comes to mind?" Erin asked as she made her way over to the cupboard for a mug.

"No. It's probably nothing. Like I said, it's just been an odd week," Eddie brushed off the incident, really only wishing for her soft, warm bed right now.

"Well, tomorrow is the beginning of a whole new one," Linda said encouragingly.

"Yeah," Eddie sighed, glad that she would be able to sleep in tomorrow morning.

Erin placed the steaming mug in front of Eddie and smirked at the younger woman. "Here, have some coffee so you don't take a nose dive into your dinner plate later. Linda and I will get everything finished while you mainline some caffeine."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the sunroom, Danny was watching the Packers drive the ball down the field for a last minute, game-winning touchdown while his brother, just as Linda claimed, was snoring softly on the couch.

Danny stood from his seat as Aaron Rodgers through a gorgeous Hail Mary pass with the game clock winding down to zero. Danny could swear that the ball hung in the air for an eternity before it finally floated down into a fray of clamoring players. "Oh! Did you see that, kid?! Holy mother of Christ! Literally!" he screamed as one of the Packers' receivers made an impossible catch in the end zone to win the game.

Jamie sprung forward to a sitting position and his eyes snapped open at the rude awakening.

"Did you see that?!" Danny repeated as his eyes finally left the television screen to study his brother. "What's the matter with you? You've been sleeping since we got here."

"Tired," Jamie mumbled as he ran both hands across his face.

"I can see that. Eddie keeping you up?" Danny smirked and then grimaced when he realized what he was asking and promptly sat back down. "Wait," he ordered while lifting his hands, "don't answer that. I don't want to know."

Jamie rolled his eyes at his older brother. "And you'll never know, I promise. We had a fire alarm in our building last night...well, this morning actually."

"Was there a fire?"

"No."

"Well, that's a good thing but it still blows. So the smoke eaters made everyone wait outside while they took their sweet time clearing the place?" Danny assumed.

"Yup," Jamie confirmed.

"That happens to me, there better damn well be a good reason for it," Danny griped.

"Lieutenant on the scene said it looked like someone pulled the alarm on the floor below us on purpose," Jamie advised. That had left him feeling a little paranoid, wondering if everything that had happened recently was related somehow.

"Bastard. I'd hunt them down for you but I got real cases," Danny smirked.

"Thanks," Jamie snorted. "It's just been a strange week."

"Why strange?" Danny wondered.

Jamie went on to explain the allergic reaction that sent him to urgent care and the flower delivery Eddie received at the 12th. She had even called the florist about it, but they couldn't tell her anything of use. The order had been called in and paid with a gift card with a bogus address and phone number provided by the customer whose name - John Smith - was too common to provide any real answers. For some reason, the flower thing really bugged him.

And judging by the look on Danny's face, it bothered him as well. "Eddie got a stalker or something?" he asked worriedly.

"What? No...I hope not...I don't know. It's just weird," he stammered, unable to make sense of it all. He hadn't even bothered to mention the strange feeling he got sometimes when he walked into their apartment because he couldn't explain that either.

"Well, anything else happens, you let me know," Danny ordered, eyeing his brother to make sure he knew he was serious. You could never be too careful; the Reagan gut never lied.

"Yeah? You gonna put aside your real cases then?" Jamie asked with a raised brow.

"For family? Sure," Danny nodded.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Jamie said, but there was still something niggling at the back of his mind.

"I'm sure it is," Danny said, sharing the same feeling as his brother.

* * *

 _Our favorite couple knows something's not kosher with all of these weird occurrences, but they can't quite figure out what it is. They will soon._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Noble Sanfino wasn't normally one to be up and about so early in the morning, but ever since he'd stepped foot back in New York City, he was a man with a purpose again. That, plus his current obsession was an annoyingly early riser, especially when he worked during the day. Noble walked back into his cramped, little hotel room not far from his old friend's apartment, carrying a large coffee and his favorite breakfast pastry, just what he needed to get him through the morning matinee. This wasn't the sort of accommodations he associated with his old New York City lifestyle, but this wasn't the time to attract any unwanted attention to himself. And, anyhow, he had more important things to spend his money on these days. He had plans for Jamie Reagan and seeing them come to fruition would be reward enough; he'd barely remember how he'd had to slum it once he was far away from the city again.

If it wasn't for his extra-curricular activities back in Colorado, he wouldn't even have been able to afford this dump on top of all of his other expenses. Deciding that he wasn't going to fully accept the fate being forced on him by WitSec, Noble had long ago managed to find ways to supplement his income and feel a little more like the businessman he used to be. Living in a college town meant that there was a demand for certain types of products and Noble had been quick to sniff out the right supply line. Being in witness protection meant he was supposed to keep his nose clean and as far as the Feds were concerned, he had been doing just that, keeping his little side business completely off their radar. He'd managed to keep his hands clean - for the most part - while working for his uncle and doing the same in Smalltown, USA had turned out to be a snap.

Noble placed his breakfast on the small bedside table and checked the feed on the laptop, finding everything in the small apartment still and quiet. That was surprising since there would normally be some sort of activity from one or both occupants by this hour of the morning. With at least a few more minutes before the live show, Noble dropped down onto the unmade bed and took a long sip from his latte as he turned to study the collage of printouts and photographs taped to the wall above the cheap wooden desk...the amount of information you could find on the internet still amazed him. But that was nothing compared to the wealth of information available to you when you utilized the services of a twenty-year-old college geek who was slowly developing his talents as a master hacker and, lucky for him, traded his services for the product he carried most of the time; the kid was a freaking genius as far as he was concerned. It was because of him that he now knew all there was to know about Jameson Reagan, from his ridiculous allergy to the exact score of his sergeant's exam. And it had been just as easy to dig up information on his new wife. All of it helped make easy targets of the unsuspecting newlyweds.

Noble was staring at the wedding photo of Mr. and Mrs. Jameson Reagan from the Post's website when the couple in question finally resurfaced from their little love nest. He took a seat on the rickety desk chair and watched them move around the kitchen with perfect synchronization as they both got ready for another exciting workday, preparing breakfast as they bantered back and forth like two people so perfectly happy and in love. The two were poster children for your typical, sickly-sweet newlyweds who couldn't keep their hands off each other. It had been entertaining at first, but now it just made Noble sick to his stomach...probably because it was everything he didn't have in his own pathetic life.

Jamie Reagan had a seemingly perfect life: a good family, a beautiful wife and a promising career - he was already climbing the ranks with a major undercover bust under his belt. It wasn't fair, Reagan was living his own version of the American dream in the big city while he was hidden away in some forgettable town out west all because he'd allowed himself to be suckered in by the stupid cop.

Noble's jaw clenched as he watched the couple head out to work together, checking the schedule pinned to the wall to estimate when they'd return home. He just wanted Jamie Reagan to know all that he'd lost because of him.

He'd know soon enough...he was getting tired of this show anyway.

* * *

Eddie walked out of her apartment building and squinted into the bright mid-afternoon sunshine. She came to a stop and placed her dry-cleaned uniform over her arm as she rummaged around in her purse for her sunglasses.

"Eddie Reagan?"

Eddie's head snapped to the left where she found an unfamiliar man approaching. "Maybe. Who's asking?" she responded suspiciously as she eyed the stranger approaching her.

"Sorry. I'm an old friend of Jamie's," the sandy-haired man explained with a bright smile. "Name's Eric. Eric Weller," he said while extending his hand.

Eddie studied the man, searching her memory for a mention of an Eric Weller as she returned his firm grip. "Sorry, I've never heard your name before. You say you're an old friend of Jamie's?"

"Yeah...actually it's been years since we've seen each other," he began to explain as he casually slipped his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "We were kinda tight until I moved away. He was like a member of my family...saved my life once, you know?"

"Oh," Eddie said with a polite smile, not knowing what else to say to this perfect stranger while wondering how he'd even recognized her if he'd been gone all these years.

"Yeah. I moved out of the city several years back. Just moved back into town and wanted to catch up. I thought I'd surprise him," he said.

"I'm sure he'll appreciate that, but I'm sorry to say that he's at work. I can let him know you stopped by. Did you want to leave me your number?" Eddie offered.

Noble held his hands up. "No need. I have his, but like I said, I figured I'd surprise him. I'll give him a call later," he said, studying the petite blonde that had been half of the main attraction the last few weeks. _She was even better looking in person_ , he thought. _No wonder Reagan married her._

"Okay," Eddie responded uncomfortably, feeling as if he was ogling her.

Noble's eyes widened and he snapped his fingers when he remembered something else that he wanted to mention. "Oh, and by the way, congrats on the marriage. I saw the article in the Post several months back. That's how I recognized you, actually," Noble said, instantly noticing the way she tensed at the mention of the article. His smile grew, confirming yet again how easy it was to get under their skin.

Eddie's discomfort was replaced by annoyance as she mentally cursed that damn article, but put on a happy front. "Uh, yeah. Thanks," she replied with a forced smile.

"Yeah," Noble sighed, as he made sure to leave her with a lasting impression. "I never thought I'd see the day that Jamie Reagan would settle down. He was a real player; I had trouble keeping up with him sometimes. He even chased after my sister for a while...like a dog with a bone, that one," Noble laughed. "But that got a little weird with our friendship and everything."

"I'm sure," Eddie said slowly, finding that the conversation had become a little strange. She wasn't certain if he was just completely oblivious as to what he was telling her about her husband or whether he was actually doing it on purpose for some strange reason...some friend.

"But our friendship came first in the end. He's good that way," Noble smiled.

"He sure is," Eddie agreed with a nod of her head, trying to think of a polite way to end this run-in with Jamie's weird buddy.

"Seeing that article on your wedding is what really made me want to move back and reconnect with some people I haven't seen in a while. I missed this city," he said.

Eddie stared back with slightly puzzled eyes.

"Well, I've taken enough of your time. It was a pleasure to meet you, Eddie. I hope to see you soon," Noble smiled and turned to walk away.

"Sure thing," Eddie replied as her phone began to ring, wishing it had done so a few minutes sooner. "Strange guy," she muttered under her breath as she accepted the call. "Hey, mom," she answered as she turned to head for her car, quickly filing away the encounter for now, but she'd definitely bring up to Jamie later when she saw him.

* * *

 _Jamie will find out next his old buddy is back in town!_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It was close to one in the morning by the time Eddie made it home after work and she was pleasantly surprised to find someone waiting up for her.

"Hey...what are you doing up?" Eddie asked her husband as she slid out of her jacket and pulled off her boots.

Jamie dropped the book he was reading to look over the back of the couch and gave his wife a welcoming smile. "Bed was lonely without you," he pouted, leaving out the part about how he'd had that strange feeling come over him again when he came home earlier that evening. It was the damndest thing, but for some reason home didn't feel like home anymore.

"Sure it was," Eddie chuckled as she walked over to the living room and laid across the length of couch next to Jamie, releasing a sigh of contentment when her head rested on top of his chest.

"How was work?" Jamie asked as he kissed the top of Eddie's head and hugged her to him.

"Good," she replied. "Glad to be home."

They both lay on the couch quietly for a few moments before Eddie remembered her encounter with his long lost friend earlier in the day.

"Heard some things about you today," she smirked into his chest.

Jamie's head jutted back to glimpse at his wife's face. "Me? What'd you hear?" he asked with a nervous chuckle, afraid of what it could be just by her playful tone.

"I heard you were quite the player in your day, Reagan," Eddie snickered. "Guess I was lucky to land you, huh?"

Jamie let out a short laugh upon hearing himself described that way, but didn't understand what she meant. He'd never been one to be described as a player of all things. "What?"

"You denying it, babe? It's okay, I won't hold it against you," Eddie teased.

"You lost me. Where'd you hear that?" Jamie asked curiously.

Eddie laughed again, preferring to get the scoop on Jamie's weird friend, surprise be damned. "Did your friend call you?"

"Friend? What friend?" Jamie asked as he shifted on the couch to face her, not getting the connection here.

"Yeah. Eric...kind of a weird guy. I thought I knew all your friends by now," Eddie commented.

"You lost me."

"Eric Weller."

Jamie's brow furrowed, realizing she wasn't kidding around. "Babe, I don't know an Eric Weller."

Eddie pursed her lips wondering if she got the name wrong, but she was sure she heard him clearly. "He seemed to know you. Said he moved out of the city a few years ago and just moved back. He wanted to surprise you," she said.

"And you met this guy in person?" Jamie asked, to which Eddie quickly nodded. "Where?"

"Downstairs."

Jamie's stomach fluttered nervously and he raised himself up on one elbow. "What did this guy look like?"

Eddie shrugged, yawning as the day began to catch up with her. "Our age, white, six feet, maybe 180, light brown, short, wavy hair, green eyes. He said you saved his life once," she described quickly.

Jamie's mouth dropped open with every word that came out of Eddie's mouth, thinking that there was no way it could be him.

"Then he said you chased after his sister which is a weird thing to say to a guy's wife. I don't know, he kind of gave me the willies after a while," Eddie finished. "Did you really chase his sister?"

"Noble," Jamie whispered with a far away look.

It was now Eddie's turn to be confused. "What's noble?" she asked.

Jamie sat up fully, Eddie following suit when she saw the alarmed expression on his face.

Stunned by the thought that Noble Sanfino may have resurfaced, he shook his head in disbelief. "That wasn't a friend, Eddie. He was my UC assignment my second year on the force. Noble Sanfino. We brought him in and he turned state's evidence to bring down the Sanfino and the Cavazerre families," he explained in a rush as his breathing grew shallow. "I told you about them once."

"The ones that put a hit out on you?" Eddie asked with wide eyes as realization hit. Jamie had only given her the Cliffs Notes on the assignment and the price that had been put on his head.

"Not me, my cover," Jamie corrected without thinking.

"You really think there's a difference?" Eddie huffed.

Jamie got up from the couch to pace one side of the living room. "What the hell is he doing around here? He's supposed to be in WitSec."

Eddie assumed the question was directed at her and answered as best as she could. "He said he saw you in that stupid Post article...that thing is going to haunt us forever," she grumbled angrily. The damn thing had caused them enough grief before the wedding.

Jamie let out a few curses under his breath as he continued to walk the length of the room. After a moment, he turned to give his wife a pointed look. "What else did he say?" he asked, wondering what he wanted.

Eddie shook her head as she replayed the conversation in her mind. "Uh, I don't know, uh, that you were close to him and his family. That he wanted to move back when he saw the article so he could reconnect. He said he had your number and would call you," she said, pausing when she thought about the part that made her think he was strange. "Then he said the thing about you hooking up with his sister or something but that you backed off."

Jamie closed his eyes and shook his head, leading Eddie to believe that part might have been true. "Anything else?"

Eddie shrugged. "Just that he hoped to see me soon."

Jamie's blood boiled at what he knew to be a veiled threat at his wife. The last time he saw Noble, he'd been pissed that he'd been duped by a cop.

 _"Oh, okay, so this conscience of yours, it-it lets you gain people's trust - perfect strangers - and then you screw them over?" Noble asked as anger simmered just below the surface. He still couldn't believe he'd let himself get played; if his uncle wanted him dead before, he couldn't imagine what he'd want to do to him knowing he'd been the one to roll the red carpet out for the cops. That was the only reason he had to consider the deal they were offering._

 _"That's not what went down here," Jamie argued._

 _"No?" Noble fired back._

 _"No, you're not perfect strangers. You're criminals, and I'm a cop," Jamie corrected. Noble may not be involved in most of his uncle's dirty business, but he wasn't innocent in all of this either. And he was still being handed and opportunity to save his life._

 _"Okay, let's go," Lt. Arbogast prodded before this got more heated._

 _"You're a weasel with a badge," Noble spiped._

 _"Now, Sanfino," Arbogast ordered with a sharp tug of his arm._

 _"You're alive because of me," Jamie reminded him. "And you're welcome."_

Jamie would never forget the death glare Noble gave him as Arbogast led him away. "Eddie, you see him again, you call me or Danny, even Dad. You find back up," he ordered.

"Back up?" she questioned. "The guy seemed smarmy, but he didn't come off as dangerous. I thought you said he was a screw-up?"

"He's an impulsive idiot is what he is who seems to have forgotten about the kind of people he helped put away, regardless of the fact that they were his family. He draws them out, there's no doubt about what they'll do to him. But if he starts sniffing around us -"

"They'll realize who you are," Eddie finished his thought.

"I mean it, you see him again, you get away from him and get help."

"I'm a cop too, Reagan. I carry a gun and I can protect myself," she argued, mistaking his warning for unnecessary overprotectiveness on his part.

"Eddie, honey, I know you can protect yourself, but these are mob guys we helped put away and they won't hesitate to hurt you or anyone to get to Noble or me after what we did."

Eddie could see the fear in his eyes, for both her and himself and understood how serious this was. "What are you going to do?"

Jamie ran his hands through his hair and gripped the back of his neck, blowing out a breath as he thought about that. "I need to let dad know first," he said as he checked his watch, "but it will have to wait until morning. Chief Arbogast was my CO for that assignment but he's not with the department anymore. He'll probably have to call in OCCB to see if they know anything. The Marshals too since Noble is supposed to be in witness protection."

"I guess they don't keep their animals on tight leashes," she mumbled to herself before getting up to stop his nervous pacing. "But we're safe here, right?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Yeah," Jamie sighed, as a mix of emotions went through him as he thought about Noble being back in the city and approaching Eddie. "We're okay here," he said, although he hated the idea that Noble knew where they lived... _what the hell was his end game_ , he wondered.

"I don't know that we'll be getting any sleep tonight, but let's try, huh?" Eddie suggested. "We're gonna have to talk to your dad first thing in the morning," she added as she led him to their bedroom, doing her best to hide her own concern for him.

* * *

Noble laughed as he watched the pair disappear into their bedroom, thrilled to know Jamie Reagan now knew he was back in town and on to him. The guy seemed utterly shaken by the fact he'd gone near his wife. He hadn't appreciated the insults they traded about him. He certainly wasn't an idiot, that got under his skin a little, and he wasn't a screw up, this whole plan was coming along nicely and proved him to be just the opposite. It was time to put an end to the little games he was playing, but first, he'd let them stew in fear. He'd show Jamie soon enough who was smarter.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Frank's jaw was clenched tightly as he listened to his daughter-in-law recount her encounter with Noble Sanfino yesterday afternoon. It was the last thing he expected to hear and had him on edge ever since he received an early morning phone call from Jamie as he got ready for what he hoped would be another uneventful day at the office, something he was learning to cherish more and more every day . Jamie had tried his best to remain calm while they spoke on the phone, but he could hear the tremor in his son's voice as he explained what happened. And Frank knew that his son was more concerned for his wife's well being than his own.

Before leaving his house, Frank had ordered his new Special Assistant, Lieutenant Sydney Gormley, to pull everything they had on the Sanfino/Cavazerre operation and arrange a meeting in his office with the current Bureau Chief for OCCB, the Marshals Office and his best detectives from Major Crimes. There was no way he'd be able to keep Danny out of this anyway he reasoned and he wanted his best people on this case so that they could get Noble Sanfino off the streets. They needed to figure out what he wanted before he had a chance to pull some crazy stunt - it was not knowing what he wanted that had them most concerned.

Frank still remembered how he felt each and every time Jamie went undercover with Sanfino. He'd wait with bated breath until Jamie was cleared and back in the safe confines of the department for debriefing. But the worry didn't end there, it would extend into his daily life while on patrol where anything could happen and Frank often worried Jamie would be spotted by the same people he was running with under the Jimmy Riordan cover.

"That was it. That was the last thing he said," Eddie finished her account as she pushed the photo of Eric Weller/Noble Sanfino to the center of the table and sat back in her chair. The only difference between the man in the photo and the man she met on the street yesterday was the hair color - it wasn't as dark now - but they were definitely the same person.

Jamie's hands were folded in his lap, out of view of the others in the room, where they'd clenched repeatedly, his wife's retelling of her run-in with Sanfino angered him just as much as it did the first time around.

Frank took a deep breath before nodding to his Bureau Chief. "Lieutenant Reynoso," he prompted.

"Yes, sir. We have OCCB working the wire taps. So far there is no chatter about the nephew among those that stepped in when Sanfino and Cavazerre were taken down. Some in that organization still have loyalties to the old guard and would certainly be interested to know he was back. I've brought my team up to date on the original case and the subsequent hits that were put out on Sanfino and Sergeant Reagan's cover. We'll continue to work those taps for any new threats. We're also checking with our contacts and CIs at the prisons where Sanfino, Cavazerre and his people are locked up to see if they know anything."

Eddie fought to keep her face neutral but couldn't help reacting slightly when she heard the Bureau Chief mention a possible price on Jamie's head. Her reaction didn't go unnoticed by her husband and he reached out to hold her hand under the table, the only reassurance he could offer her right now.

"I want OCCB scouring every file on the Sanfino operation. He's bound to use old contacts here in the city, anything to help find where he's hiding," Frank ordered.

"Yes, sir."

"Agent Peters. What have your people been able to find out?" Frank asked the head of the New York office of the U.S. Marshals.

"Sir, Noble Sanfino was relocated to a small town outside of Denver after testifying against the families under the new identity of Eric Weller and set up with a restaurant manager job and an apartment. For all intents and purposes, the agent assigned to him reports that he managed to keep his nose pretty clean from the checks they conduct once a year as per procedure. The agent suspects he might have kept some of his old addiction habits, but overall works hard and raised no red flags. There are no signs that anyone knows where he was moved to. Agents found his place empty this morning and his assistant manager at the restaurant told them he requested a leave of absence, but did not specify a date of return. The last time they saw him was two weeks ago. We've even checked in with his sister who was relocated to the same part of the country. She denies any contact with him since he took off. In fact, she claims it's been well over a year since they have even spoken. He'll easy draw attention to himself just by returning to the city."

Danny snorted at the obviousness of Agent Peters' statement. "You think?"

Frank ignored Danny's remark but repeated the same sentiment. "That goes without saying, Agent Peters. Have you been able to track his movements after he requested leave?"

"Yes, sir. He used his new identity to board a commercial flight to LaGuardia, purchased the ticket at the Denver airport and paid in cash. He arrived here two weeks ago, just a day after he got leave from work. So far, there has been no activity on the one credit card he has in his new name."

"He's flying under the radar and doing God knows what else. My concern right now is his attempt to make contact with Sergeant Reagan and it's bad enough that he knows where he and Officer Reagan live. I want people sitting outside their building in case he returns."

"It would be better if we handled that ourselves, Commissioner," Danny suggested. If the Marshals couldn't keep tabs on their own witnesses, he wasn't going to let them take charge of catching this guy, not while it meant his brother and sister-in-law could be in danger.

Frank agreed with his son one hundred percent and nodded toward Gormley to make it happen.

"Yes, sir. I'll oversee it myself," Lt. Gormley responded.

Jamie and Eddie remained quiet as the discussion continued, Eddie because this was all new to her and she had no idea what to expect next, but Jamie knew from experience that, like the last time word had gone out about the hit, his father would step in to take charge of the situation with little to no input from him. He was in Commissioner mode now, but the father in him would also make sure he didn't lose another son to this job.

"For now, Sergeant Reagan and Officer Reagan will be on modified assignment -"

Hearing that caused Jamie to frown and he opened his mouth to protest, but Frank was quick to send a pointed look his way.

"- until we have a better handle on this situation," he finished.

Danny looked from one end of the table to the other, seeing the determination in his father's eyes to keep Jamie safe and his brother's clear disagreement to playing house mouse. But he agreed with his old man wholeheartedly, especially if it kept Jamie and Eddie safe.

Jamie clamped his mouth shut, knowing now was not the time to argue the matter.

"I'll reach out to their COs," Gormley said as he jotted down some notes.

"Then let's get to it, gentlemen," Frank dismissed the group, while Eddie, Jamie and Danny stayed behind.

Frank could see the worry on Eddie's face and a whole slew of other emotions crossing Jamie's and he silently led them back to his office where they could speak more privately.

Danny was the last one into his father's office and was closing the door to the conference room when Jamie voiced his disagreement with their assignment.

Jamie crossed his arms and watched as his father stared out through the window. "What's the point of grounding us? Noble's not stupid enough to come at armed cops," he argued.

"Jamie," Eddie whispered from where she was perched against an arm chair in the sitting area. She didn't like the idea of being stuck at the precinct either, but would be more at ease knowing they'd be safe while Frank had people look into this. Part of her thought the guy seemed like a screwball, but they all appeared worried enough over the situation to take them off patrol.

Frank slid his hands into his pockets as he turned to face his youngest. It was like dealing with Jamie all those years ago when he forced him to move back home. "He was stupid enough to set foot back in this city," he countered.

"And stupid enough to approach Eddie who he knows is also an armed officer even while off duty," Danny pointed out.

"Until we know what he's up to, that will be your assignment," Frank said firmly.

"Great," he conceded with a sigh as he stood next to Eddie and brought an arm over her shoulders. Jamie knew there was no point in fighting his father and brother, he most definitely wouldn't win. Atleast he wouldn't have to worry about Eddie being safe while on duty, but he felt like he could be of better use by helping draw Noble out of hiding like he had done the last time. The difference now was that it wasn't just about him anymore.

Frank was relieved that Jamie was on board for the time being, even if it was more out of concern for his wife. "Look at the bright side," Frank said, waiting for Jamie to meet his eyes.

"Yeah? What's that? 'Cause I'm not seeing one right now," Jamie mumbled.

"At least I'm not having you move in with me," Frank joked, hoping to lighten the mood for a moment.

Jamie couldn't help smirking. "Funny."

"Might not be a bad idea, dad," Danny added, but he was only half kidding. They'd be safe at the precinct during the day and safer at their father's house when off duty.

Frank agreed with Danny; it would certainly help him sleep better at night, but he knew his son would be totally against it, even more so than being confined to the precinct. "Let's just see what OCCB can come up with. Until then, you'll work out of your precincts. You two are not to go anywhere alone and we'll have two officers posted outside your building in case he comes back. And we'll put out a BOLO for Noble with his new identity. We'll have every officer out there looking for him."

"Alright," Jamie sighed.

A knock interrupted their conversation and Detective Abigail Baker appeared in the doorway. "Sir? Your one o'clock is here," she announced.

"Send him in, Baker," Frank said as he came around to the front of his desk.

"We'll get out of your hair, dad," Danny said as Jamie and Eddie both went to leave the office.

"Don't go anywhere," Frank told the trio. "This involves Sanfino as well."

Jamie, Eddie and Danny traded looks, but it was the Reagan boys that were most shocked when their father's one o'clock appointment walked through the door.

Disgraced former Chief of Department Dino Arbogast smiled tightly as he came into the room. He had not been thrilled to get a call from his former boss that morning asking for a meeting. The last thing he needed was a face to face with Frank Reagan after everything that had gone down, but he also owed him for preventing more serious repercussions for his actions than just his job resignation. Dino certainly didn't expect to see Danny and Jamie Reagan here too, but he really shouldn't have been so surprised either considering the situation.

"Dino," Frank greeted as he extended his hand. "Thank you for coming in."

"Sir," Dino said as his eyes went to Frank.

Danny crossed his arms and eyed Arbogast suspiciously, the man had messed with his career after all.

Jamie knew right away why Arbogast was here - no one knew the Sanfino case better than the former Bureau Chief of OCCB.

"Dino, you know Danny and Jamie and this is Jamie's wife, Edit," Frank said.

Dino was sweating under the glare coming from the eldest Reagan son and focused instead on his more personable, younger brother and his new wife.

"Nice to meet you," Dino directed to Eddie, "and congratulations to you both."

"Thank you," Eddie said.

"Let's have a seat," Frank instructed and moved the group to the sitting area. After they were all settled, he continued, "I asked Dino here to see if there was any insight he could provide on the Sanfino operation. No one knew that case better than him."

Dino nodded before starting. "Everything there is to know about the families is in the file, but Noble was always the one unknown, a bit of a loose cannon and the reason we had to jump when he went looking for Jamie after he OD'ed in that bar."

"I could have told you that," Jamie commented.

Dino nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure you could have," he said, pausing to take a breath. "Noble was always on the periphery of the action whether it was his own doing or his uncle's to keep him clean or to keep him from screwing things up, but he was impulsive, like a spoiled rich kid, and that's what always got him into trouble. Philly eventually got tired of it. Anyway, after everything went down and he testified, we kept the wire taps going for over a year to investigate everyone that stepped up to try and run things for the families."

"I take it they were quickly replaced?" Danny asked.

"The bottom feeders were like vultures. We watched for anything indicating that they were still after Jimmy Riordan, but we heard nothing. There was no indication they even made him out as cop."

"They must not get the Post in prison," Danny muttered.

"Thank God for that," Eddie whispered.

"He seemed to be forgotten completely after Noble and Bianca testified against them. They were the new focus of the families' wrath. With them hidden away, that should have been it," Dino said.

"It'll be Noble that ruins that depending on how far he decides to take this," Jamie stated. And with Noble, you never knew what you were going to get.

* * *

 _So now everyone knows Noble is back but they aren't any closer to knowing wha he wants._


	9. Chapter 9

_Thanks for the reviews! I'm so happy you are enjoying this. Noble still has a lot more in store and this chapter spans over a full week to bring us to the point where some of Noble's activities will soon be known to Jamie and Eddie. Please keep reviewing and let me know what you think!_

Chapter 9

Jamie knocked on the doorway his old TO's office to say a quick hello. "Hey, Sarge!" The one and only perk of the whole Sanfino mess was coming by his old house everyday and catching up with the people he'd worked with for so long. Things were going very well for him over at the 1-5, but he would always miss the 12th.

Renzulli looked over the top edge of his glasses, happy for a break from his paperwork. "Reagan!" he smiled brightly at his old boot. "I think I've seen more of your ugly mug around here in the past week than I did in all the years you were assigned to the 12th," he joked.

Jamie smirked at his mentor. "I miss you everyday. It's not fair that Eddie gets you all to herself."

"Ha! I'm sure you do. But your daily visits are giving JC false hopes that you're coming back here to partner up with him for good."

"What can I say? Everyone loves me," Jamie shot back.

Renzulli chuckled. "I think I saw Eddie head back to the locker room a little while ago," he advised knowing Jamie was here to escort her home as he'd been doing everyday since they both went on modified duty while the Sanfino mess got sorted. Renzulli sighed to himself, it was a hell of a thing for them to have deal with that particular blast from the past.

"Okay, thanks, Sarge," Jamie said, turning to go wait for his wife in the hallway.

"Cop a squat, Sergeant," Renzulli ordered, not quite ready to go back to work himself...plus he always looked forward to the kid's company. "So, you two gonna be under house arrest much longer?" he wondered as Jamie strolled further into the office.

"Probably not. There hasn't been a peep from Sanfino since he approached Eddie, no sign that anyone from his family even knows he's in town. The Commissioner can only keep us off patrol for so long," Jamie answered as he took a seat in one of the guest chairs across from his mentor.

"So maybe he slithered back out west," Renzulli surmised.

"Who knows, but he hasn't gone back to his old life, we know that much," Jamie said in frustration. It really was the not knowing that was driving them crazy. Both he and Eddie had been overly cautious during the past week while they waited for something else to happen. They hadn't really gone out all week, just to be on the safe side. And when they did go out, it was never alone; they tried sticking together whenever possible. He knew Eddie could take care of herself, but he felt better when he was by her side. And he was pretty sure she felt better watching his back too.

"Well, I made sure every officer in the precinct has the little rat's face permanently etched into their brain. If he's within our jurisdiction, we'll find him," Renzulli vowed.

"I appreciate that, Sarge," Jamie replied. It would be a relief once this was all over with.

"And Burton's a good cop. He'll have Eddie's back when she returns to patrol. You two just keep playing it smart and stick together when you're off duty," he said, pausing as a mischievous grin spread across his face, "not that that was ever a problem for you two, if I recall correctly. Isn't that right, Reagan?"

"Sarge...," Jamie smirked, knowing the man would never let him forget the fact that he'd called him out on his feelings for Eddie long before he was ready to admit them himself. Renzulli got his kicks from teasing him about it every chance he got.

"What?" he said innocently. "Was I right or was I right about you two? Look at you now, married to each other and everything. Who knows...you two may even end up with kids real soon."

Jamie couldn't help blushing, just like he did every time Renzulli started in on this topic. "There are no plans for kids in the near future," he advised considering the kid discussion he had with Eddie recently.

"Sure there aren't." Getting the desired reaction from the younger man, Renzulli decided to cut him some slack. "Alright, no more torturing you. You got enough going on. So do you think that thing with the flowers was his doing?" he asked, switching back to more serious matters.

Jamie shrugged as he bit the inside of his cheek thoughtfully. "No way to know for sure, but it's too much of a coincidence," he replied after a moment. Actually, the more he thought about it, the more certain he was that it was Noble's doing.

Renzulli could read his mind and agreed with him completely...it had to be Sanfino. "Yeah, well, even I knew that wasn't your style. You're more of a single-red-rose kind of guy than a rose-parade-sized bouquet type."

"I'm touched you remember that about me, Sarge," Jamie quipped.

"Yeah, well, don't tell my new boot, but you were always my favorite. I think it was that day I got you to tackle the guy in the hot dog suit...you were always so easy, Jamie," Renzulli teased.

"That's what she said," Eddie smiled from the open doorway.

"Hey," Jamie grinned back at his wife as he got up from the chair to meet her.

"You ready or am I interrupting a trip down memory lane?" Eddie asked with a raised brow. "'Cause I could come back..."

"Nah, we're done. I'm tired of seeing him around my precinct," Renzulli answered.

"Well, good, because I could use a drink," Eddie said.

"Alright you two. Have one for me and have a safe night," Renzulli dismissed them.

"See ya, Sarge."

Jamie waited until they left the precinct before sliding his arm over Eddie's shoulders, their lips finally meeting for a kiss hello.

"Long day?" Jamie asked as they walked arm in arm toward his Mustang.

"Yes and no," Eddie said, leaning against the side of the car once they reached it.

"Bored?" Jamie guessed, reading her mind. He understood; he was the same way, preferring to work patrol than ride a desk and this had had driven him crazy stuck behind a desk while everyone else worked to find Noble. He still thought he was the best person to help with that.

"Out of my mind. I miss being on patrol," Eddie replied as Jamie stood in front of her.

"Me too. But I think we'll be cleared to go back to normal on Monday," Jamie said, hoping to give her something to look forward to after Noble had disrupted their lives over the past week.

"Really?" Eddie asked, her expression full of hope.

Jamie smiled at the happiness on her face. "Yeah. I talked to dad earlier. There's been nothing on Noble, no chatter on anyone knowing his whereabouts, no activity with his new identity...zilch," he informed her, disappointed that he was back in the wind while also hopeful he was out of their lives. But if Jamie was honest with both Eddie and himself, he'd admit that Noble wouldn't have shown up without a specific purpose; he had to be up to something yet patience and thorough planning had not been Noble's strong suit as far as he'd seen. "We still need to be careful, but it doesn't make sense to make us ride desks forever."

"Now that's something to celebrate!" Eddie exclaimed, the boredom she complained of a moment ago suddenly a distant memory as she reached up to kiss him again. "Buy a girl a drink?" she asked before moving to slide into the passenger seat, looking forward to getting out for a little while.

"Just one?" Jamie asked with a questioning look.

"It's Friday night and we both got the weekend off, babe. Depends on how lucky you're feeling," Eddie said with a smoldering look.

Jamie huffed out a laugh and shut her door. "Yeah, I think one will be enough," he said to himself as he made his way around the front of the car.

* * *

"So you two were back on patrol this week?" Linda asked as she refilled Danny's coffee mug.

Jamie nodded as he glanced across the table at his sister-in-law. "Yeah." He and Eddie had gone back to their regular assignments and while he'd worried about Noble popping up out of the blue once again, he'd made no more attempts to contact him or Eddie.

"And everything was good?" Erin asked.

Eddie brought her mug down onto the table, thankful that Jamie's undercover friend had disappeared and hopeful that he had wisely chosen to leave them alone. "Yes, everything was fine," she answered.

"I don't get it," Danny mumbled as he chewed on his dessert.

Nicky sent a questioning look across the table. "Get what, Uncle Danny?"

"Sanfino," Danny said as he finished his pie. "He just comes out of the woodwork? For what? Just to cause a little worry and then scurry back into hiding?" The detective in him hated that the trail had gone cold on Sanfino, not that it had ever been hot to begin with. This guy couldn't be risking his life by coming out of hiding just to introduce himself to Eddie. As much as he wanted that to be the case, his gut was telling him something else was going on.

Jamie looked across the table and met his brother's eyes. He knew exactly what Danny was thinking and shared the very same concerns. But they were going on two weeks since Noble had appeared in front of their building and he had not resurfaced since nor had he returned to Colorado. The only thing that he knew for sure about Noble Sanfino was the fact that he was not patient by nature and if he'd wanted to hurt them in some way, he assumed that Noble would have done something by now.

"Maybe he finally realized he was putting a target on his back," Henry guessed.

"I'm not sure he's that smart," Frank said. He saw the silent exchange between his boys, hating nothing more than known unknowns. He wasn't good with waiting around for the other shoe to drop and with people like that, he feared that would eventually happen. Meanwhile, his son and daughter-in-law were exposed to those possible dangers. He knew they would continue to be watchful, but Frank wished he could do more to protect them.

"Coming back to New York is proof of that," Jamie commented as he pushed away his plate.

"Question is: where is he? Because he's not where he's supposed to be," Erin said as she crossed her arms on the table. She glanced worriedly at her little brother, an image of his battered face flashing across her mind as she thought of his involvement with the Sanfinos.

"So long as he's anywhere but here," Eddie said.

Frank brought his mug to his lips as he looked to the other end of the table. "I agree, but it would also be better to get a handle on him."

* * *

Noble chugged the last of the beer from his bottle, smacking his lips appreciatively as the hoppy IPA settled in his full belly with the rest of the lunch he'd thrown together from the well stocked refrigerator. He hadn't been very surprised by the amounts of fruits and vegetables in the fridge, a woman lived here after all and God knew they were always watching their weight, but he had skipped over those healthier choices for the tastier items he'd discovered and made himself a hell of a hero, pairing it with some of the salty and sugary snacks hidden away in one of the cupboards. He thanked God his old buddy kept the kitchen stocked with enough junk food that he didn't have to resort to the little woman's rabbit food. It wasn't a fancy Sunday dinner, but the premo craft beer had been enough to appease him. It wasn't like he had time to cook himself a hot meal anyway after spending the better part of the afternoon snooping around the tidy apartment.

He had to give the Reagans credit, they lived in a pretty nice place for two civil servants earning crappy salaries. It was small, but it was nicer than the ratty apartment the Feds set him up with back in Colorado. Noble hadn't been shy about making himself at home and was making himself out to be the world's worst houseguest, snooping through drawers, rummaging through closets, and letting it be known that he'd been through every square inch of the place, just as he intended. He hadn't trashed it - he wasn't that much of a jerk - but he certainly was better acquainted with Mr. and Mrs. Jameson Reagan after a more thorough inspection of their home than the first time he'd allowed himself entry. He had not been familiar with their lives and daily activities like he was now. The first time he'd been here had been simply a mission to plant the nifty little device his new favorite tech geek had set him up with. But now? After weeks of watching them come and go and listening to their every conversation, Noble decided it was time to crank things up a bit.

Noble distractedly leafed through the wedding album as he lounged across the same sofa that had been the center of attention these past few weeks. He passed quickly over the posed family church photos, but stopped when he came across a large image of the happy couple caught in a kiss on some roof top with the shimmering New York City skyline in the background. He sighed, almost feeling bad for what he was doing, but then he'd think about everything he'd been forced to leave behind after Jimmy Riordan came into his life and he easily refocused on what needed to get done.

Noble sat up and threw the open album onto the coffee table next to the empty bottles and dirty dishes he had left scattered about. He noticed the late afternoon sun shining through the windows of the living room and checked his watch. It was about time he headed out, before his old friend came home. He wanted to make sure he had a front row seat for when Jamie eventually found the mess he was leaving behind.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Jamie flipped on the light switch as he and Eddie entered their apartment after the drive back from dinner in Bay Ridge. He was barely through the doorway when he immediately noticed the mess scattered around the portions of the living and dining rooms visible to him from the entryway and came to a sudden stop. "Eddie, hold up," he said over his shoulder as he reached for his off duty weapon with one hand and blocked his wife's path with the other. The other rooms were dark and quiet from where he stood, but the cop in him needed to make sure there wasn't a threat.

Eddie frowned when she saw him reaching for his gun. "What's the -" she began to say, her eyes widening when she finally saw the condition of their home over his outstretched arm. "Oh my God."

"Call it in," Jamie instructed as he moved toward the bedroom to clear the rest of the apartment.

Eddie first identified herself as an NYPD officer to the 911 operator, walking from the kitchen to the small living room as she proceeded to report the break in. It was apparent that someone took their time going through all of their belongings and helped themselves to whatever food they had in stock. She remembered all of the times people had commented on feeling violated as she prepared reports on the countless break ins she'd reported to during her career. That same feeling washed over her as the tables we're turned and they were now the victims. Some stranger had been in their home, but this was more than your typical break in, whoever did this had spent a good amount of time here and didn't hesitate to let that be known. She couldn't even tell if anything was missing through the mess they left behind, but the only obvious items of real value in the living room - their electronics - hadn't been touched. Eddie frowned when she spotted their wedding album laying open on the coffee table next to a pile of dirty dishes and empty beer bottles...that had her stomach clenching, making this feel more personal somehow.

Eddie was just finishing the call to 911 when Jamie came back out of the bedroom. "It's clear," he said as he reholstered his weapon.

Eddie couldn't take her eyes off the album on the table as an idea formed in her mind. "Anything missing back there?" she asked.

Jamie shook his head as he followed the path Eddie had taken around their apartment, hating the feeling he was getting in the pit of his stomach. "I can't tell. All of the drawers in the bedroom and bathroom have been rifled through but I don't want to touch anything."

Eddie could see the same idea coming together in his head too - there was no way this was just a random break in. "Jamie, what if-"

"I know, Eddie. That was my first thought, but we won't know anything until CSU gets here," Jamie interrupted, hoping against all odds that Noble wasn't involved in this. He could see the panic building in her eyes as she turned to walk over to the bedroom and inspect the damage in there for herself.

Jamie was about to suggest they wait before jumping to any conclusions when his cell phone rang, his brow wrinkling at the blocked number listed on the display but he didn't hesitate to answer the call. "Reagan."

"Jimmy!"

Jamie's breath caught in his throat when he heard the familiar voice address him by his undercover name. "Noble," he whispered, no longer having any doubts about who was responsible for the disarray he was looking at.

"My bad, it's Jamie, right? Jameson Reagan."

Jamie's jaw clenched at the mockery in his voice. "You need to stop whatever games you're playing here and come in, Noble," he ordered.

"Why would I do that? I was just starting to have fun, buddy," Noble chuckled.

"You're going to get yourself killed! There's a reason you were relocated," Jamie warned, hoping that he'd get the jerk to turn himself in just to save his own hide.

"Yeah and I'm talking to him," Noble stated with an edge to his voice.

Jamie wished he could reach through the phone and wring there other man's neck with his bare hands. He was dealing with the same Noble from that night so many years ago after he brought him in from the cold, still hung up on the fact that he'd bought his cover. And now he was acting as if this was all some sort of joke but the consequences were very real. "Are you kidding me? You're going to get yourself killed if anyone finds out you're here. Your uncle still has clout, even from behind bars."

"No one knows I'm here, except for you and your department, and yet you all still don't know where I am. There was even a while there that even you had no clue, not until I talked to your pretty little Eddie."

Jamie's hand clenched around the phone a little tighter as Eddie's name passed through his lips. It was evident that Noble knew he could get to him through her.

"Never would have known who you were if it weren't for you marrying her and getting your face splashed across the papers, so good going. Congrats on picking the daughter of a felon, man."

"Noble," Jamie warned, tempted to hang up on him, but he knew he needed to keep him talking and get whatever information he could from him because right now they had nothing.

"No I mean it. Really. I've enjoyed the show the last few weeks."

Jamie's brow furrowed in confusion. "Show?" he asked nervously.

Noble laughed, eager to share his secret. "Yeah, man. By the way, Eddie's a hot piece of -"

"Shut up!" Jamie barked. Anger welled up inside too quickly for Jamie to contain it, especially with the direction their conversation was heading.

Noble let out a throaty chuckle before continuing, the anger only spurring him on. "I can see why you can't get enough of her. You have the whole newlywed thing down pat too, buddy. It's sweet how you two start by cuddling on the couch."

"What did you do?" Jamie gasped as he turned to face the sofa and a sick realization stole his breath.

"Oh, not much. Just planted this nifty little device in your place. You'd be amazed how they can hide tiny little cameras in everyday things. I've been watching you two the last few weeks," he taunted.

 _There was no way_ , Jamie thought to himself as he looked around the living room, trying to spot whatever device Noble claimed to have planted.

"See, I'm not as big of an idiot and screw-up as you like to claim. You shouldn't have said that to Eddie, she must think the worst of me. That really hurt my feelings. Look, here she comes now. That shade of blue really looks good on her by the way."

Jamie spun around quickly, his eyes widening as he watched Eddie approach him. He broke out into a cold sweat at the confirmation of his claim made worse by the fact that Noble was apparently still watching them.

Eddie's stomach clenched nervously at the pale expression on Jamie's face. "What's wrong?"

"You can look, but I bet you won't find it," Noble sang through the phone.

"Who are you talking to?" Eddie asked.

"Why don't you tell her, Jimmy?" Noble prompted.

"Where is it?" Jamie demanded as he moved around the couch, searching the bookcase and entertainment center for anything that appeared out of place.

"You're actually getting warm...nah, just kidding! You're ice cold, buddy."

"This isn't a game, Noble!" Jamie shouted, his face now flushed with anger.

"You're right. It's not. So I'll see you soon."

Jamie brought the phone down and stared at the screen as it confirmed the end of the call, breathing shallowly as shock continued to envelop him.

Eddie stood next to him, certain now that what they were dealing with was a lot more than a B and E and it most definitely involved Noble Sanfino, but there was no way for her to even guess how much worse it really was. "Jamie? What's the matter? Was that him?"

"Yeah," Jamie whispered as he finally met her eyes, not knowing how he was going to break it to her that Noble had been spying on them for God knew how long.

* * *

 _Secret is finally out! A little father and son interaction in the next chapter after Jamie and Eddie are displaced from their home._


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Everything had turned hectic after Jamie's call with Noble. First with the revelation of Noble's claim that he had been spying on them for weeks - but not before Jamie had inexplicably dragged his wife out of their apartment and into the hallway, away from prying eyes. Eddie had been unwilling to believe it at first, but the unwavering shock on Jamie's face as he leaned back against the wall for some added support told her it was true. Stunned as well, she mimicked Jamie's stance when her legs became shaky. She just couldn't make sense of it...how had they gone from enjoying a family meal an hour ago to this now? But it didn't take long for the magnitude of the situation to fully sink in as several questions began to weigh on both of their minds: what had Noble been watching them do? How long had this been going on? What else was he capable of? And what the hell did he really want?

When a little of the shock wore off, Jamie called Frank and Danny and soon thereafter units from the local precinct responded. Danny had shown up as well to check on them personally and to make sure that CSU and TARU was set up to sweep every inch of their apartment. The permanent scowl he wore was further proof that the situation with Noble Sanfino had escalated beyond anyone's expectations.

There wasn't much for them to do after the investigation got rolling, so Danny had convinced them to head back to Bay Ridge, promising to oversee everything himself. Jamie had been hesitant to leave, but his brother had practically forced them out knowing full well it would only drive the younger Reagan crazy to stand by and watch while more strangers went through their belongings. So they'd grabbed only a few items of clothing to get them through the next few days while everything was sorted out at their place. After a quick stop at a drugstore for some toiletries, Jamie and Eddie soon found themselves at Frank and Henry's house for that second time that day.

Eddie dropped her overnight bag next to the bed in Jamie's childhood room before letting herself drop onto the mattress with a heavy sigh. "How long are we staying here?" she asked as her eyes roamed around the room. She felt better being here, but her head was still reeling from all of the evening's discoveries and she couldn't help feeling displaced.

Jamie put his own bag on the desk chair and took a seat next to his wife. "At least a few days. TARU's going to go over every square inch of our place tomorrow after CSU is done."

"Great, so not only has Sanfino been through all of our things, but now CSU and TARU too?" Eddie complained. She knew it was necessary, but that didn't mean she had to like it; it was as if they were being stripped of their privacy over and over again. She was still praying that there was a possibility that Noble had been full of crap when he'd called Jamie and made the claim just to get under his skin, but the only way they were going to know for sure was to have TARU sweep their place. "Well, they can take their time," she conceded. "I'm not sure it'll ever feel like home again. God, I just keep wondering what he saw us doing. You're supposed to feel safe at home and that's gone...it's dirty now," she said sadly as she dropped her head onto his shoulder. Eddie kept trying to think of their time at home over the last several weeks. They were both very affectionate with each other, especially in the privacy of their own home, enjoying every second married life, as well they should, and the fact that Noble Sanfino had been getting his kicks from watching them tore at her heart and definitely had her feeling violated.

Jamie's heart broke at the sadness in her voice. He had been struggling to remain calm ever since he'd spoken to Noble, anger and guilt both consuming him. If Noble wanted to hurt him, then he should come after him directly, but he had figured out a way to hit him where it hurt most and that involved going after Eddie as well. "I'm so sorry, Eddie," he apologized as he slipped his hand into hers.

Eddie's brow wrinkled in confusion. "What are you apologizing for? You're not the perv that bugged our place."

"No, but he's the perv from my UC assignment who's come back for some crazy sort of revenge. I should have left the bastard on his own to deal with his murderous family." Jamie cursed his giant, bleeding heart for the hundredth time that night. He could still hear Danny loudly voicing his opinion on the matter...

 _"And what would you have done?" Jamie argued as he looked past his sister to Danny down at the other end of the table, annoyed once again that his brother never seemed to back him._

 _"What...what would I have done? I would have stayed the f-," Danny paused catching himself before he blurted out the f-bomb in front of the kids, "I would have stayed out of it the same way you should have._ _Like it or not, gangster justice is very efficient._ _It saves taxpayer dollars."_

 _Jamie couldn't believe what he was hearing. Since when did any of them have the right to decide who should live and who should die? "Seriously? This guy guy gets assassinated, and that's all you've got?"_

 _"He got what he deserved," Danny snapped back, wondering what it was going to take for the kid to stop thinking he could save the whole world._

"Why the hell hadn't he listened to Danny?" he asked himself.

"It's not your fault, Jamie. And you wouldn't have been able to live with yourself if you just stood by and let him get murdered by his own family," she reminded him.

"I couldn't live with myself if he hurt you to get to me, that's what he's been trying to do so far," Jamie stated, still hearing the smugness in Noble's voice every time he mentioned Eddie.

Eddie looked him in the eye to make sure he was listening to every word she said. "You're a good cop and a good human being, Jameson Reagan, you did the right thing by helping him and you couldn't have known he'd come back after all of these years. He was in WitSec for his own safety," she said, knowing that Jamie's immense sense of responsibility to foresee all dangers and keep everyone he loved safe would have the guilt out in full force. She loved him for it but she also had to make sure he got it through his thick, Irish skull that he wasn't to blame.

Jamie nodded. Eddie was right, but it was still difficult to let go. Jamie brought his arm around her shoulders and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "We'll start looking for a new place. I wouldn't even feel right living there anymore either." Once TARU confirmed that they had indeed been watched all this time, there was no way they would ever feel at peace there.

Eddie looked up into Jamie's eyes when another realization hit. "We're going to have to throw everything out, Jamie. He's probably the reason you ended up in urgent care."

"I thought about that," Jamie sighed. The incident with the sauce was one of the first things that came to mind after the shock wore off...and the rat made more sense now too. He had mentioned it to Danny who said he would have the CSU guys check the pantry and medicine cabinet for Noble's prints. They both agreed that it was worth checking first on whether the over-the-counter medicine that had been ineffective that night he had the allergic reaction might have been tampered with as well.

"Is it a good idea to be here?" Eddie wondered.

"What do you mean?" Jamie asked.

"I mean isn't this where he turned himself him? He's bound to remember that. It seems like he's figured everything else out."

"He's been pretty brazen so far," Jamie replied, knowing that was an understatement, "but I can't imagine he'll show up at the police commissioner's house. Plus, dad has his detail sitting outside."

Eddie dropped her head back onto Jamie's shoulder while wrapping her arms around his waist. "I'm not so sure anymore. I just thought he was a creep before, but now? This just crossed over into scary. Makes me glad we both carry when we're off duty."

* * *

Jamie quietly slipped out of bed after Eddie had finally fallen asleep. Unable to rest with everything that happened, he padded downstairs to grab something to drink and found his father sitting at the kitchen table huddled over neat stacks of paperwork. "Hey, dad," Jamie said softly so as not to startle him.

Frank looked up, surprised to see anyone up at this late hour. Jamie and Eddie had gone up to bed not long after they'd arrived back from their apartment, both looking stunned and weary after their latest encounter with Noble Sanfino. Frank had hoped they'd both feel safe here and that they'd get some much needed rest. "Hey, son. What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep," he admitted with a shrug as he walked over to the fridge for some juice.

"I can't say I blame you," Frank sighed and lowered his reading glasses to study his youngest. Despite the casual response, Frank could tell that Sanfino was weighing heavily on his mind. "How's Eddie holding up?"

Jamie shook his head as he took the seat next to his father while twisting open the cap on the small bottle in his hands. "She finally got to sleep. She's creeped out about as much as anyone could be after learning you've been spied on in your own home," he responded, pausing to take a sip of apple juice. "I think we're going to look for a new place after this is all over with."

Frank was surprised to hear that. "Is that really necessary?"

"Would you feel safe in a place where some nut has broken into multiple times and has watched your every move for weeks?" Jamie questioned.

His son had a point there. "Yeah, I get that. You know you both are welcome here as long as you need." He didn't want them to go back to their apartment if they really wouldn't feel safe there. He had already made sure that TARU would secure the apartment the way they had done to Jamie's old place when he'd been threatened by a perp, although if felt like too little too late at this point. And while he hoped that better locks would keep Sanfino out, it would do nothing to restore the sense of security one should feel in their own home.

"I know. Thanks, dad," Jamie replied. "I'll talk to Eddie about it. I guess we have to figure out what we're going to do with Noble still out in the wind."

"We'll figure it out, Jamie," Frank promised. He was going to do everything in his power to keep both his son and daughter-in-law safe.

They both sat quietly for a few moments, but Frank sensed that something else was keeping Jamie up. "What else is on your mind?"

Jamie chewed on his bottom lip, wishing that his father wasn't so good at reading him. "I should have known," he whispered after a long moment.

Frank frowned at Jamie's statement. "How, Jamie? How could you have possibly known he would do this?"

Jamie thought back to the night they'd come home weeks back when the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as soon they'd walked through the door. "Because every time I've stepped foot into our apartment over the last few weeks, I knew something was off."

"You have good instincts, Jamie, but it was impossible for you to have known that he'd go this far," Frank soothed.

"Maybe not at first, but after he'd approached Eddie in front of our building, I should have done more. If he knew where we lived -"

"Then I also hold blame," Frank interrupted, wanting to put an end to the unnecessary guilt eating at his son. "Because after you both came to me, I should have made sure you were safe both at work and at home." Frank knew it was pointless to beat himself up for not having the foresight to anticipate that this would happen, but Jamie hadn't hesitated to come to him after Noble reappeared and he did feel guilty for not sending TARU to their apartment right away. It wouldn't have occurred to them to have TARU sweep the apartment for bugs, but if they'd gone out there to secure it, maybe they could have found something instead of letting weeks go by twiddling their thumbs while they waited for Sanfino to make another move. And unbeknownst to them, he already had.

"It's not your fault, dad," Jamie repeated Eddie's words from earlier that night, understanding the message he was trying to get across.

"Then it's not yours either," Frank assured him, hoping he'd let go of the guilt so that he'd be more focused on what needed to be done to protect them now.

"I just hate this, the not knowing. He's been a step ahead of us this whole time and we have still no clue of what he really wants," Jamie vented.

"We'll find him, Jamie," Frank promised, hoping that they'd find Sanfino before he did anything else to his kids.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Noble walked along the dimly lit East River Promenade toward the Williamsburg Bridge with his hoodie pulled down low over his head as he scanned the various benches along the waterfront in search of a familiar face. It had been years since he'd last seen the guy and still couldn't get over how easy it had been to track him down again...creature of habit, he supposed. That and business was probably still good.

Noble was under the bridge but the time he finally spotted the slouched form of his old acquaintance, sitting in the shadows and throwing side-long glances at passersby in between scrolling through something on his smartphone. "Richie," he called out as he neared the waiting man.

The dealer squinted at the approaching figure, thinking he was imagining things when he recognized the voice he never thought he'd ever hear again. "Noble?" he gasped as Sanfino lowered his hoodie, sending the man a bright, smug smile in return while taking a seat next to him on the park bench. "Jesus. What are you doing back in New York?" he asked with wide eyes. He felt like he was seeing a ghost. The guy's hair was noticeably lighter, even in the darkness, but it was definitely him; he'd never forget the guy that nearly killed him.

"Just temporarily," Noble replied. "I had some unfinished business to attend to." That was about as far as he was wiling to go with his old buddy.

"You really are a crazy son of a -" Richie blurted out, knowing it was suicidal for Noble to be seen around these parts, but the guy always did seem to have a death wish, saved repeatedly from whatever messes he got himself into by his uncle. That would most certainly not be the case anymore and hadn't been for a long time.

"Hey, watch it now, Richie," Noble warned. "Don't go insulting my poor mother."

Richie couldn't help getting nervous around the man that had landed him in the hospital because he'd sold him bad mash once, but he quickly reminded himself that he no longer had the backing of his crime family. "I just mean...I heard you disappeared after everything went down with your family. Rumor was they wanted you gone before they all got pinched."

"Yeah, yeah," Noble sighed, "and probably a lot more now, right?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess," Richie confirmed and narrowed his eyes as he stared back at Noble, wondering what he was up to and thinking that the bastard was still as crazy as ever...maybe more so.

"That's why you're going to keep your trap shut, right, buddy? You don't want a repeat of the past," he warned not so subtly.

A flash of anger ran through Richie. Who exactly did Noble think he was these days?

Noble chuckled when he saw the man tense at his implied threat. "Come on! Come on, man! You're not still holding a grudge over that whole mess, are you? I mean, the way I see it, I still made out a whole lot worse than you did. I almost OD'd and had a thirty day stint in rehab. You?" Noble reached out to playfully slap Richie on the arm. "You just rode out your high at the hospital for a few days and went home."

"If that's the way you want to see it," Richie replied as he looked down both sides of the walkway.

"Come on, Richie!? No hard feelings, man! I mean that was eons ago. You gotta learn to let things go," Noble said, chuckling to himself because he couldn't seem to take his own advice.

"Yeah."

Noble was done with this trip down memory lane. It was time to get to business because he had plans now that the peep show was over. "So, you got the stuff I asked for?"

"Yeah, I got it. You got my money?" Richie fired back.

"Yeah," Noble sighed, hating that he couldn't negotiate the price, there was no time for that and he didn't need to frazzle Richie more than he already had. "I can't believe what you charge for retail," he commented as he pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket and handed it over. "I mean, your prices here are crazy, but that's New York for ya, huh?" Noble marveled over what he could make if he ran his little business in New York City. What he made off the college kids was really chump change in comparison.

Richie thumbed through the bills before reaching into his backpack and pulling out a clear plastic bag with an assortment of drugs. "I guess it depends on where you're coming from."

"Uh, uh. Can't tell you that, Richie, but nice try. I'm sure you'll be a pal and forget you ever saw me. I'll be gone before you know it anyway," he cautioned.

"Well, that's some party you're planning. Hope it ends well," Richie commented as he watched Noble inspect the contents of the bag, thinking back to what happened to him the last time he had that particular combination.

"Absolutely," Noble laughed as he shoved his purchase into the pocket of his hoodie. "Well, Richie, it's been good seeing you again, man, but I really gotta run. Take care of yourself," he said as he stood to go back in the direction he'd come from. Noble was eager to grab the few things he needed from his ratty hotel room and set up in a new location were he could lay in wait for the right time to surprise Jamie Reagan yet again.

Richie watched him go for a few moments before starting any attempts to follow. He reached into his pocket for his cell phone and placed a call, knowing there were still people around he could gain favor with by telling them Noble Sanfino was back in the city. "Hey, you'll never believe who I just saw..." he said as he started to make his way down the waterfront.

* * *

Several hours later, an overly-flirtatious Noble was escorting a young lady home from the bar where they had met up. "Jesus, Leah, you're driving me nuts in that dress," he growled as he pulled the woman who'd provided him with so much fun and, more importantly, unlimited access to the Reagans' building over the last several weeks to a stop for a rather public display of affection. He'd spotted the unmarked police car parked across the street from the apartment building as soon as they'd rounded the corner - he could always make a cop...well, okay, not always, but he was working on making that right. It was time to put on a show as the handsy boyfriend who couldn't wait to get his hot girlfriend behind closed doors.

The redhead giggled as her new love interest embraced her, his hands roaming over almost every inch of her body her body as he took her lips in a smoldering kiss that had her forgetting for a moment that they were on a public street. "Eric," Leah gasped as she forced herself to pull out of the kiss. "We're almost back at my place," she said with a dazed nod to her building.

"I can't help it, baby," Noble pouted as he walked arm in arm with Leah toward the building and dipped his head to kiss her cheek, keeping his face turned away from the officers keeping watch while simultaneously tugging on his hat. "It's taking forever to get you home."

Leah giggled with absolutely no idea of how she was being used. Noble had first spotted the voluptuous redhead leaving the building when he was still scoping out the place. He was immediately attracted to her and knew she would be his ticket in. It wasn't hard to sweet talk her into a first date and then into her bed. What Noble hadn't anticipated was that Leah would be Jamie's next door neighbor; he couldn't believe his damn luck! That allowed him to have a little more fun with his old friend while he quite literally had fun with his new girl. Noble was thrilled at the prospect of having Jamie within his grasp and could have put the final part of his plan into action weeks ago, but it was too tempting to watch the newlyweds on the feed, then to throw it in his face and see him squirm as a result was too fantastic an opportunity to let pass. So he continued to make Leah swoon in his presence, fashioning himself as quite the catch in her eyes so that he was a repeat invitee to her apartment.

Noble smirked as he draped himself around Leah as she opened the front door to the building...maybe the cops weren't so stupid after all. He didn't expect for them to be watching the place since he had been the one to break the news to Jamie that he'd been in and out of there several times. Noble had been hoping they would think he wouldn't return to the scene of the crime. It might make his final plans more complicated as it now became unclear as to whether or not Jamie and his wife would return to their apartment. But Noble had grown to be quite patient ever since he'd discovered Jimmy Riordan's true identity. It was probably time to make himself an overnight guest at Leah's place. Lucky for him he came prepared, as Noble hooked his thumb around the strap of the gym bag hanging across his shoulder.

* * *

 _Anyone want to guess what Noble's plan is now?_


	13. Chapter 13

_We're halfway through the story with Noble laying in wait for J & E. A few more chapters to set things up before Noble's final plans for revenge kick into high gear._

Chapter 13

"Here's the first one for you my dear, my world famous Belgian waffles," Henry said proudly as he placed the golden cake in front of Eddie. Frank and Jamie both lowered the sections of the paper they'd been reading, their eyes widening upon seeing the first plate going to Eddie and both wondered how long it would be before they got theirs.

"You're spoiling me, Henry," Eddie gushed as she poured a generous amount of maple syrup into each nook of the waffle. "You may never get rid of us now," she added while cutting into her breakfast with eager anticipation.

"We're glad to have you here as long as you like, you know that," Henry assured them both from where he stood watch over the next waffle.

Eddie closed her eyes as she took the first bite...she was in breakfast heaven. "Mmmmm, that's really good!"

"The secret's the egg whites, you have to beat them until light and fluffy and then carefully fold them into the batter," Henry revealed.

Jamie raised a brow at his grandfather as he shared one of his many culinary secrets. He couldn't picture himself or Eddie beating egg whites for waffles, they usually ate the frozen ones at home. They were always better when someone else made them anyway. "Sounds like a lot of work, pops. We'll just come over here whenever we get a hankering for them," he smirked while stealing a piece from Eddie's plate.

"Hey, get your own!" Eddie complained, scowling at her husband as he smiled around the bite of waffle he'd stolen.

Frank smiled quietly behind his coffee mug. He didn't like the reason Jamie and Eddie were exiled from their home, but, regardless, he was glad to have them here. And it was good to see them acting more like themselves after Sunday's events.

"We're married now. What's yours is mine," Jamie declared.

"Not when it comes to Henry's waffles," Eddie warned.

"Or ice cream or chocolate or " Jamie teased, laughing as he caught the napkin Eddie threw at his head.

"Alright, enough. Here, that should keep you quiet," Eddie conceded, reaching over to feed him another bite, fully intending to steal some of his as payback.

"Hey, sounds like there's a party going on in here," Danny said as he came through the kitchen door with a file in his hands.

He received a chorus of 'hellos' that he paid no attention to when he realized what his grandfather was doing. "Ooh, are you making waffles, gramps?" His eyes widened much like Frank and Jamie's had. He took a seat at the table with the others and only spotted one half eaten cake in front of his sister-in-law, hoping it wouldn't be too long before he'd get one too.

Jamie's eyes narrowed on the file Danny placed on the table. "You have any news yet?" he asked nervously, fully aware that his brother wouldn't come over at this early hour without a specific reason.

Frank also gave Danny the same look, but was better at reading his tells and knew that the news would not be good. Eddie brought her mug down onto the table, weary of what was in the file Danny brought with him.

"Yeah, I got the reports from TARU and the crime lab," Danny confirmed as he glanced at the newlyweds.

"Did TARU confirm what Noble claimed?" Frank prompted.

"Yeah, unfortunately they did," he said with a grimace as he saw the way both Eddie and Jamie's faces fell.

"I think I just lost my appetite," Eddie mumbled as she pushed away her plate.

Henry brought over another few plates and placed them on the table where they went untouched and remained at his son's side to listen in on what Danny had to say.

Jamie's hands clenched into tight balls while trading stunned expressions with Eddie. It felt like they were getting the news all over again. "Where'd he plant it?" Jamie asked, wondering if he should have been able to spot it.

"They found an AC adapter with a tiny hidden camera plugged into the wall next to your entertainment unit." Danny opened his file and took out several photos, one of the electrical plug with the AC adapter next to their television and the others, close-ups of the exposed camera from the device.

Jamie picked up the first photo, shocked at the fact that the damn thing had been staring them right in the face all that time and stunned at how ridiculously well it blended in with everything else in their apartment. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I am. Sorry, guys."

Eddie was staring off into the distance as Jamie passed the photo on to his father. That small sliver of hope she had been clinging onto that all of this had been a cruel joke was now extinguished and she was left feeling completely violated again.

Danny continued with what they knew so far. "This thing can be purchased over the internet or in those spy shops you see in some places by any Tom, Dick or Harry. It's intended for home security and the nanny-cam type of monitoring people do these days and it's the reason it's made to blend in so well into a home setting. It plugs into the wall so there's no worry about battery life and it was connected to your WiFi and transmitting back to Noble."

"Do we know where yet?" Frank asked.

"TARU's figuring that out now. That device works with an app you log into from any computer or smartphone. This particular gizmo would have been registered to an account created to access the feed. Erin got me a warrant and it was sent over to the company yesterday to get that information. TARU's working on tracking the IP address used to log into the app to see if they can figure out where Noble's holed up."

"This is crazy," Jamie muttered under his breath.

"Did they find anything else?" Eddie asked. This news was bad enough, might as well hear it all now.

"TARU went through the whole place, no other devices found except for that one adapter. CSU did find something with the antihistamine bottle you pointed out though," Danny

"What?" Jamie asked.

"Both Noble and your prints were on it. He'd watered it down and that was the reason it didn't help you that night. His prints were all over your things in the medicine cabinet but they're still waiting for more results to come back from the other items they've tested."

"Jesus," Jamie sighed.

"I know, kid. I'm sorry," Danny said as his phone buzzed in his jacket pocket.

"So that's it? We just sit here and wait for him to reach out again?" Jamie asked.

Danny shook his head as he read the incoming message on his phone. "Maybe not. Baez just texted me, TARU just got a hit for the IP address Noble was logging in from," he explained as he got up from his seat and gathered up his file.

"Where?" Frank asked.

"Some dump of a hotel in the Lower East Side. She's getting a team ready to go there now. I gotta meet her."

"I want to come with you," Jamie said as stood from the table.

"Jamie," Eddie called out, concerned about him being anywhere near Noble Sanfino.

"Not a good idea, kid."

"He's right. Let your brother handle it," Frank ordered.

Out numbered three to one, Jamie clenched his jaw and sat back down.

"I'll call as soon as we're done," Danny promised. He patted his brother on the back and snatched a waffle from the table, stuffing one end into his mouth as he left quickly to meet his partner.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Danny led his partner and a small group of officers into the tiny lobby of the Vagabond Hotel on the Lower East Side. While scanning the sterile interior, his brow furrowed as he considered how far Sanfino had fallen to have to stay at a dump like this or maybe he was so hell bent on revenge he was willing to sacrifice the creature comforts he was normally accustomed to. Whichever it was, he'd managed to stay a step ahead of them at every turn. "I want an officer posted at the bottom of the stairwell in case he decides to run. And make sure our guys are set up at the rear of the building," Danny ordered. One of the officers complied immediately as he moved to his assigned post and checked in with another unit.

Danny stopped in front of the check-in kiosk and eyed the clerk behind the wall of security glass. The man didn't appear at all shocked to see a contingent of officers approaching and odds were he was used to housing the less desirable in his hotel and willing to do so as long as they paid their rent.

"Excuse me, we need to speak to your manager," Danny said through the small window.

"That's me," came the response from the clerk who was more interested in the novel in his hands than the officers on the other side of the glass.

The partners traded glances before Danny slapped the photo of Noble Sanfino against the glass. "Have you seen this guy?" he gruffed at the manager.

The disinterested clerk finally lowered his book and raised a brow at the photo the detective had on display. "Is he in trouble?"

"Nah, we're here to thank him for being such an fine, upstanding member of society," Danny shot back quickly.

"What do _you_ think, sir?" Maria droned.

Danny thought of how Sanfino had tormented his little brother the past few weeks and lost all patience with the man's apathy. "Answer the question! Listen to me, we're here to serve a warrant. If he's been staying in your hotel and you don't tell me the truth, I'll personally run you in for obstruction of justice."

The manager let out a put-upon sigh before answering. "Yeah, he's staying here."

"What room?"

"410."

"Is he here now?

"He's paid up through the end of the month, but I haven't worked since Monday and I haven't seen him today."

"Officer, keep an eye on our helpful friend here," he directed one of the uniforms while motioning for the rest to follow him. "Let's go."

The detectives and officers made their way to the fourth floor and had room 410 cleared faster than it had taken them to get past the manager downstairs.

"That didn't take long," Maria mumbled under her breath. "I think my closet's bigger than this dive." She and her partner filled the small room, the other officers who had tried following behind turned back around when they saw there was no space for them. The room consisted of a small single bed pushed up against a filthy window, a teeny nightstand and rickety desk. But it was the cluttered wall of the room that had Danny gasping in disbelief. "Jesus, would you look at this."

Maria's eyes flittered amongst the printouts of photographs and articles taped to the wall like some teeny bopper's shrine to their favorite heartthrob. "Sanfino did his homework. He's got articles on your brother going back to his academy graduation," she pointed out, feeling creeped out just by being looking at the collection.

Danny took one small step closer to the wall, frowning at all of the information Sanfino had managed to gather on his brother. "Yeah, I think he's got every one of the articles the Post has put out on Jamie." Suddenly, Maria couldn't believe what she was seeing. Newspaper articles and photographs were one thing, but this was on a whole other level of creepy and added another crime they would need to investigate. "That's not the worst of it. Look at this, Danny. These look like department personnel records - medical information, Jamie's promotion to sergeant and his reassignment to the 1-5, work schedules...he even has that same stuff on Eddie."

"How the hell would he get those?!" Danny barked. Noble either has someone in the department or found a way to access those records. "If he hacked into the system, he didn't do it on his own. Sanfino's not that savvy."

Maria walked over to the nook in the wall which was supposed to be the closet and found it empty. "His laptop is on the desk, but other personal belongings are gone."

"What does he need the laptop for? He already gave up the camera, I think he's already moved on. Call CSU to come process this place and let's get his computer to TARU and have them see what else they can find," Danny requested as he eyed the photograph of Jamie and Eddie leaving the church after their wedding. Seeing the happiness on their faces made him curse the fact that he would be the bearer of bad news for the second time that day.

* * *

Danny was in the hallway, speaking to one of the techs from TARU, making sure they'd go through every bit of information they could find on the laptop they recovered from Noble's room when Jamie and Eddie stepped out of the small elevator at the end of the hall.

"Alright. Call me as soon as you have anything," he dismissed the tech as he turned to meet his brother and sister-in-law. "Hey, you two. You really didn't have to come down here. I told you we got everything under control."

"And I told you I might be able to help if I got a look at his room," Jamie countered. He'd been more than frustrated to hear that Noble wasn't found and couldn't just sit around his father's house doing nothing, so he'd headed to the Lower East Side hotel with Eddie hoping that he'd be able to point out something useful for the investigation.

Danny sighed, it was no use arguing with his brother considering he'd be doing the same thing. "Hey, take a break guys and let us have the room for a few minutes," he shouted at the crime scene investigators.

"Like I told ya over the phone, the room's got a certain creep factor to it with what he collected on you two," Danny warned over his shoulder.

"I don't think it gets any creepier than being watched in your own apartment," Eddie commented as she followed the Reagan boys into the room, her eyes widening when she saw the the countless items on the wall. "I take that back," she muttered as her eyes landed on the infamous wedding article from the Post taped in the center of the disturbing collage.

Jamie scanned the wall, surprised at the amount of information Noble had on him and Eddie, most of it was public from news sites and the local city blogs that would fixate on his family, but it was a row of forms near the bottom that alarmed him the most. "Jesus, Danny, these are personnel records," he said.

"How would he get those?" Eddie asked, looking over Jamie's shoulder at their work schedules going back to before Noble made himself known to her. Eddie hugged herself, feeling more frightened with each new discovery.

"I have no idea, but we're going to find out. He either had someone in the department or hacked the system," Danny surmised. "I already have the department geeks checking for security breaches."

"There's no way Noble hacked the NYPD. He may have put most of this together on his own but he doesn't have the knowhow to hack into a server like ours," Jamie explained.

"If he had any help, we'll find them too," Danny promised. "Is there anything that sticks out at you?" he asked Jamie while glancing around the room with just a few quick turns of his head. There wasn't much here, but if Jamie was able to spot something of use, it would make his visit worthwhile.

Jamie studied the desk and wall when something jumped out at him - a light scribble in pencil on one corner of the article on his suspension his fourth year on the force. Jamie squinted at the writing and pointed a finger at it. "Does that say 'Richie'?"

Danny leaned in, frowning at the light pencil mark. "How the hell did you see that? That's what it looks like. You recognize the name?"

"Richie was the name of the drug dealer Noble put in the hospital that first night of the Sanfino assignment," Jamie informed them.

Danny thought back and snapped his fingers when he remembered Jamie telling him about that night. "Yeah. Yeah, I remember. We'll pull the file and look him, maybe he reached out to him."

"Maybe, but he'd be an idiot to do that. He might have had the upper hand back then, but if he starts letting people know he's back in town, someone's bound to get word to the wrong people."

"He's been pretty cocky so far, so he's bound to screw up. Maybe this Richie character can lead us to him," Danny said.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Noble sat down on the plush sofa and glanced up at the television, the volume was turned down low so he could listen out for any signs of movement next door. He picked up his gym bag from the coffee table in front of him and rummaged around inside to make sure he had everything he needed. If all went according to plan, he'd be out of the city by morning. He wasn't certain yet of where he would end up, but it would not be Colorado, of that he was sure. _Maybe California,_ he thought. That would be a real change of scenery.

He then palmed the gun sitting next to the bag, snorting at the soft whimpers coming from his bound companion curled up on the other end of the couch. Noble looked down at the item in his hand, marveling at how much the air pistol resembled the real thing. He had Leah crying every time he handled it and all it was missing to prove it was a fake was a stupid plastic tip. It might not be as easy to fool a couple of cops, but he was banking on not giving them enough time to figure out it was a fake.

"I'm really sorry about all of this, Leah," he sighed, turning to acknowledge the frightened woman. After he'd come home with her, they'd had one last hurrah before he'd focused on the business at hand and he'd transformed from the seemingly perfect boyfriend she had been totally consumed with into the sadistic animal that had bound and gagged her, terrorizing her in her own home with the constant threat of violence, drugs and guns if she didn't follow his instructions. She was still his ticket to luring the Reagans away from the safety of their apartment. Seeing the terror in her red, weepy eyes, he was sure she'd do whatever it took to save herself. "I really like you, Leah, that part was true, but I won't be in town much longer. I really had fun with you, though. I just needed a way into your building, the last thing I expected was that you would be right next door to the Reagans. What luck!" he said with a sick smile that had the woman shirking away from him, her legs already pulled up to her chest trying to keep as much distance between herself and the stranger sitting next to her. "Now, what I need from you is to have you bring one of them down to the rear of the building. I already got your car parked back there. If you don't do what I say or you tip either of them off, I promise to come back for you and it won't be the good times we've had the last few weeks," Noble threatened as he reached out and gripped the young woman by the back of her neck to look her directly in the eyes. "Got it?"

Leah nodded weakly as fat tears ran down her cheeks and disappeared into the gag wrapped around her head. He'd gone from sweet and loving to physically violent and psychotic. She didn't understand his obsession with her neighbors. They were a boring couple, the husband was kind of hot but she didn't have time to be messing with a married man, especially one who's wife carried a gun. Now, they seemed to be the reason she was in this mess and she was willing to do anything to get Eric away from her.

"Good. Now we wait as long as it takes," Noble said, laying back against the back of the couch and putting his feet up. They'd be back eventually.

* * *

Danny sighed as he stepped onto the sidewalk in Harlem alongside his partner. It had been a hell of a day so far and he was hoping something would finally go their way with the investigation. The name 'Richie' scribbled on one of the articles had been the only lead they were able to locate in Noble's hotel room.

He and Baez had said their goodbyes to Jamie and Eddie back at the hotel with promises to call if anything positive came of the search for the famed dealer. The young couple planned to head back to their apartment to clean up the mess left behind by CSU and TARU but not before they checked in with the officers sitting on their building.

Danny and his partner went back to the squad and, luckily for them, it hadn't taken very long to get a location on the dealer Sanfino had put into the hospital after Jamie went undercover to sniff out underage drinkers. Ricardo Garcia was very well known to the guys over in Narcotics.

"Hey, that's our guy," Maria pointed to a tall, dark-haired Hispanic man who was just walking out of a residential building.

"Yeah, it is," Danny agreed, increasing his pace before the man in question cleared the staircase of the building. "Ricardo Garcia? Detectives Reagan and Baez, NYPD. We'd like to ask you some questions."

Garcia looked nervously between the two detectives, turning to glance at the now closed door to his building and contemplating whether he would have an opportunity to run if needed. "About what?"

Maria held up a photo of Noble Sanfino from the Marshal's file. "Have you seen this man recently?"

Danny was certain Garcia knew something about Sanfino. It was too much of a damn coincidence that his name was found in the hotel room, plus Danny might need to punch someone if they walked away with squat on the bastard harassing his brother. "Why do you look so nervous, Richie? Can I call you Richie?"

Garcia shrugged and looked everywhere but at the detectives right in front of him. "I-I haven't seen him," he stammered.

"You sure about that, Richie?" Maria pressed.

"Listen, detectives, the last time I saw him was right before he forced a trio of drugs up my nose and I ended up in the hospital. I hope I never see him again," Garcia replied honestly.

Danny faced his partner and gave her a look of doubt. "Do you believe him, Detective Baez?"

Maria studied the other man carefully before answering. "No, I don't believe I do, Detective Reagan."

Danny shook his head emphatically. "Yeah, neither do I. Alright, you leave us no choice. We have reason to believe you've been in contact with Mr. Sanfino sometime in the last few weeks," he accused Garcia before turning to discuss the next course of action with Baez. "I'll call in for a search warrant and see what we can find around his apartment to prove it."

"Wait," Garcia requested with a look of alarm.

"The boys in narcotics were really interested when we mentioned we were looking for him," Danny said with a thumb pointed back at Garcia. "They said he probably has a real treasure trove hidden away up there."

Maria's eyes widened in anticipation. "Ooh, maybe we could add another felony collar to our belt."

"Alright," Garcia said loudly.

"Maybe I'll invite them along," Danny said as he pulled out his phone and began dialing a number. "We shouldn't be the only ones to have some fun."

"Good idea," Maria praised.

"Wait. Okay. Wait. He called me, alright, but I had no clue it was him until he walked up to me," Garcia confessed as he stared nervously at the detective's thumb where it hovered over the call button on his cell.

Bingo. "When was this?" Danny asked.

"A few days ago, okay," he admitted. "I should of known it was him right off the bat."

"Why's that?" Maria asked.

"He was looking to score, uh," Garcia paused as he realized that he was basically confessing to a crime he absolutely did commit, but the female detective was a little scary looking and he didn't want to mess around with her, so he told them the truth, "certain products, the same ones that ass forced on me. It should have just clicked, but he's been gone forever and I worked real hard to forget that night."

"The same ones that landed you at King's Medical?"

"Yeah."

"Did he say anything else?" Danny questioned, his stomach clenching at what Noble might be planning to do with those drugs.

"He had that same smug look he always had on his big, stupid face, the one I'd like to punch right off."

"Get in line. What did he say? Anything that can help us find him?" Maria prodded him along.

"Nothing. His hair was lighter. Said he was only in town to take care of some old business. Told me not to say anything to anyone. I thought the guy was crazy before, but now I'm sure of it if he's willing to step foot in this city after what he did to his family."

"He's crazy, alright," Maria muttered, the creepy collection on the wall was still stuck in her head.

"And did ya?" Danny asked, knowing there was no honor amongst thieves.

"Did I what?"

"Did you let anyone else know he was in town?" Danny gruffed.

Garcia avoided both detectives' eyes.

"I'll take that as a yes," Maria guessed.

"Let me guess, some of the old Sanfino/Cavazerre crew that didn't end up locked behind bars?" Danny said, worried that Garcia's big mouth could add another wrinkle to the case.

"Hey, that jerk put me in the hospital. If anything happens to him because he's back in town, that's his own damn fault," Garcia defended.

"Yeah, it is," Danny agreed for the most part. He just didn't want to think about having to protect Jamie and Eddie from both Noble and some mobsters should Noble lead them back to his brother.

* * *

 _I know it's been a slow build up and I appreciate everyone who's stuck with this story. Everything begins to really heat up next, so stay tuned._

 _Now it's time to focus on what's really important...football! Happy Super Bowl Sunday! :)_


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"It's gonna cost an arm and a leg to restock our kitchen," Eddie grumbled to herself as she emptied the last small cabinet above the stove housing some seasonings, spices and a collection of oils and vinegars. They weren't taking any chances; if Sanfino had messed with that one sealed jar of pasta sauce, there was a good chance he'd tampered with something else. She'd rather spend good money replacing everything they had in their kitchen and medicine cabinet than make another trip to urgent care, or worse yet, the hospital, because they hadn't dumped everything to begin with. "Stupid Sanfino."

Jamie came out of the bathroom with a small garbage bag. He'd been tackling their bathroom while Eddie worked in the kitchen. They may not plan to be in this apartment for much longer, but they felt the need to scrub clean every surface Noble Sanfino could have touched. They hoped doing that would make living here for the time being more tolerable. "Bathroom's done, medicine cabinet is completely clear," he reported, dropping the bag along the breakfast bar.

"Good. You ready to make another trip to the dumpster?" Eddie asked. There was another reason to be annoyed today, some jerk had jammed the garbage chute, so Jamie had to take the two garbage bags they'd filled earlier down to the dumpster at the rear of their building.

"Yeah," Jamie said, eyeing all of the open and now empty cabinets of their little kitchen. "Guess it's a good thing we took Pops up on dinner tonight."

"Don't talk about food. I'm hungry and wishing I hadn't passed on the rest of my waffle this morning," Eddie complained. The visit to Noble's hotel earlier in the afternoon had caused them to forget all about lunch and it wasn't often she went his long without eating.

Jamie smirked and reached out to hug his grumpy wife, lowering his head to lay a kiss on the crook of her neck. Hunger wasn't the only reason for her mood. Eddie had been noticeably quiet since they left the hotel, no doubt more freaked out than ever not that he could blame her. "Want me to go grab something to hold you over?" he offered.

"Nah," she smiled, pulling out of his arms. Even though TARU had cleared the apartment, she still felt weird being here, like they were still being watched somehow...Eddie hoped it didn't take them long to find a new place to call home. "But the sooner you take that garbage out the sooner we can get out of here and head back for dinner," she told him with a gentle nudge to hurry him along. They'd checked in with the officers parked out front when they arrived who'd advised that all had been quiet with no signs of Sanfino and then spent the afternoon cleaning up the fingerprint dust CSU had left all over the place, proof that they had gone over every inch of their apartment as ordered, and straightening up everything that had been left in disarray after TARU had searched for Noble's monitoring devices. All she was looking forward to now was a home cooked meal and some good news from her brother-in-law on their missing creep.

"Alright," Jamie said, releasing her to compete his chore. "I hope this is the last of it."

"It is. Hop to it, Reagan, so we can get out of here!" Eddie ordered as her stomach grumbled in anticipation of Henry's cooking.

"Bossy," Jamie chided playfully, dodging a towel on his way out of the kitchen. He made his way down in the elevator and was walking through the dim hallway to the rear exit of their building when he found their neighbor struggling to pull a large box through the exit.

"Hey, Leah. You want some help with that?" Jamie asked, frowning as he took in the bloodshot eyes and rumpled appearance of the normally stylish and always well-groomed young woman.

Leah jumped slightly and her eyes grew wide when she saw him coming towards her, glancing through the partially open doorway before turning back to her neighbor. "Oh, uh, hi," she squeaked nervously.

Jamie guessed he must have startled her, but he also got the feeling something else was going on with her. "Are you okay?

Leah began nodding before she got her mouth to answer. "I'm fine."

Jamie found her words hard to believe, but decided not to press. Maybe she was having guy trouble and he didn't need to know anything about that; he'd had enough with her dating habits in the past few weeks as it was. "Where are you headed with that?" he asked, depositing his garbage bags to one side of the hallway.

"Oh, uh, to my car. It's, uh, in the back," she answered, quickly lowering the long sleeves of her sweatshirt to cover the marks on her wrists.

"Here, let me help you," Jamie said, picking up the box with a soft grunt while noticing that Leah was avoiding eye contact. "You sure you're alright?" he questioned one last time over the top edge of the box.

"Fine," Leah nodded dismissively. "My car's to the left," she advised and led him out through the door.

Jamie followed her out into the alley. The sun had set and Jamie was thinking they needed to get back to Bay Ridge for dinner when he noticed another box already occupying most of the trunk of the small sedan. "I'm not sure it's gonna fit with the other one already in there."

"That's alright. She doesn't really need it anyway," a familiar male voice said from behind.

Jamie gasped, identifying the speaker right away. He reached for his hip, forgetting that his weapon was upstairs with his jacket, when he turned to meet the smiling face of Noble Sanfino along with a dark, compact object rapidly coming toward the side of his head.

Noble smiled as Reagan went down like a sack of potatoes next to the box he'd been carrying. Leah remained frozen in place, sobbing quietly as she pressed herself up against the rough exterior of the building. He made quick work of taping Jamie's wrists and ankles together and dumping him into Leah's trunk. Before he closed it, he searched his pockets, smirking when he located his cell phone and sent a quick text to get the final member of their party down from the safety of her newly fortified apartment.

* * *

Eddie paced the living room. She'd taken a breather on the couch after Jamie left to throw out the garbage, until her eyes had landed on the outlet where Sanfino had plugged in the hidden camera. Seeing that had suddenly given her the heebie jeebies and Eddie found it difficult to sit still, hence the pacing. It was stupid, she knew TARU had gone through their place with a fine-tooth comb, located only one device and then installed new locks to prevent further break-ins - there was no way Sanfino was getting back into their apartment. But she couldn't help the strange feeling she was getting, like the one Jamie described getting all of those times they came home while they were unknowingly being watched.

"Come on, Jamie," she whispered, wishing he would hurry back so they could leave. No sooner had she said those words, her phone was signaling an incoming text from her husband: _having some trouble need ur help down here._

"Great," she sighed as she typed in a response, "but we're leaving right after." Eddie grabbed her bag, along with his off duty weapon and jacket and left the apartment, locking the door behind her to meet him.

Eddie walked the same path Jamie had minutes earlier and spotted two white garbage bags near the rear exit. She studied them as she passed, they could have been anybody's but something made her think they were the ones Jamie had brought down with him. She tentatively opened the rear door with a sudden need to find him. "Jamie?" she called out while scanning the alley, still holding the door open. Eddie turned to the left when she heard whimpering and found their neighbor standing next to a car. "Leah? Hey. Are you okay?"

Hoping this was almost over and Eric would leave her alone as promised, Leah answered honestly and shook her head as the tears fell from her eyes, drawing the blonde further into the alley as instructed.

Eddie glanced back at the dumpster, seeing no sign of Jamie, but the younger woman's weeping drew her attention away from the reason she came down here in the first place. She took a few steps toward Leah, wondering what had her so upset. "What's the matter? Was Jamie out here with you?"

Leah began to cry in earnest and Eddie was reaching to comfort the girl when she was suddenly grabbed from behind and an arm went around her neck cutting off her air supply. Jamie's jacket and weapon tumbled to the ground along with her bag as she reached to pull at the muscular arm restricting her airway. Eddie fought back, kicking and reaching behind her to hit, scratch and pull at whomever had her in their clutches, but it caused him little more than to release a few minor grunts of pain. She struggled for air, trying to get enough in to send Leah for help, but the pressure around her neck only increased. Her assailant, much taller and broader than her petite frame, shook her like a rag doll and forced her to her knees where her vision began to grow dark around the edges, her last thoughts before she passed out... _where was Jamie?_

When the woman went slack in his arms, Noble released the pressure around her neck, panting heavily against the back of her head. She had put up more of a fight than he expected. If the burning sensation across his cheek was any indication, she had even managed to scratch the hell out of him. Laughter erupted from Noble's mouth, marveling at all of his success so far as he let Eddie fall to the filthy ground with a dull thud, tying her up and securing her in the back seat of Leah's car much like he had done to her husband.

All of that taken car of, he turned to eye one last loose end.

Leah stared back, mistakenly thinking Eric Weller would honor his word and let her go without further harm.

* * *

 _Noble's plan worked, he's finally got them in his clutches and getting crazier with each small victory._


	17. Chapter 17

_Thanks to everyone who has continued to review. I'm so thrilled everyone is enjoying this!_

Chapter 17

"Hey, pop," Frank greeted as he walked through the kitchen door, sniffing the air appreciatively while looking forward to a hot meal after a long day.

Henry stood from where he'd been bent over the open oven door checking on his roasted chicken. "Francis! You're home. I thought I'd be seeing the kids before you," he said while checking the time on his wrist watch.

A frown appeared across Frank's face as he slipped out of his coat and loosened his tie. "They're not here?"

"No, not yet. They left earlier in the afternoon to meet up with Danny, then they were headed home to clean up the mess they assumed would be left behind by the department techs. But they said they'd definitely be back for dinner and to spend at least one more night here," Henry explained as he finished setting the kitchen table.

"I would have thought that they'd be back by now," Frank commented as he came to a stop in front of his father, hiding his hands in his trouser pockets as he did whenever something began to niggle at him. He hoped he was just being overly paranoid, but couldn't help but feeling that something wasn't right.

"Me too. Give them a call and see where they are because dinner is ready," Henry instructed as he got the rest of the meal together. "Maybe we can convince them to stick around here a bit longer. I'd feel better having them here with us while that creep Sanfino is still running around out there."

Frank pulled his phone from his pocket and hit one of the speed dial icons on his phone, bringing it up to his ear as he waited for his youngest son's warm tones to greet him. "So would I, pop, especially with as long as Sanfino has managed to drag this out. Jamie said it's unlike him to be so patient and calculated. He tended to be more impulsive and careless during the time he was running around with him." Frank's frown deepened as the call went to voicemail after several rings and more so when he got the same result after trying his daughter-in-law's phone.

"Well, unfortunately, I guess being tucked away in the middle of the country somewhere has taught him a thing or two about patience."

"The worst part is not knowing what he's planning. What's his end game with all of this?" Frank wondered out loud as he tried Danny next, fearing that his gut was right about something being wrong as he thought back to that day when Jamie could have still walked away from the undercover assignment. Jamie had a gut feeling back then that Sanfino was different than the rest of his murderous family, but Frank was starting to doubt his son's instincts in that respect.

 _"It was pretty brutal," Jamie admitted, shifting nervously from one foot to the other as he waited for his father and brother's reactions. He still couldn't get over having to watch the dealer snort a medley of drugs without the ability to put an end to it, fearing that Noble was going to kill the guy right in front of him. What was worse was having Richie look pleadingly into his eyes, begging him for help; Jamie could do nothing more than turn away and smile in Noble's direction as if amused by what he was witnessing._

 _"Guy's okay?" Frank asked. He hated the idea of his youngest running around with mobsters and with no immediate back up in case things went south._

 _"Yeah, he's in King's General, stable."_

 _"I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the family tree," Danny joked, earning a smirk from his father. He was tempted to tell Jamie to run for the hills, but he knew his little brother wanted an opportunity to shine on his own._

 _"That's the thing, though," Jamie said, still not understanding who Noble Sanfino was in all of this._ _"Isn't the wise guy way like, 'you put one of ours in the hospital, we put one of yours in the morgue'? Noble didn't do that," he pointed out. He didn't want to sound like he was defending the guy or anything, but it just didn't make sense. He really thought he'd be witnessing a murder last night and while what Noble did was still pretty horrible, if the dealer had sold the bad drugs to anyone else in the Sanfino family, he'd most certainly be a goner today._

 _"What are you getting at?" Danny puzzled, trying not to roll his eyes at what he perceived as Jamie's giant bleeding heart. If anyone had even a fraction of an ounce of good in them, his little brother would always try to sniff it out._

 _"Just that this was more 'an eye for an eye.'_ _Biblical, not gangster," Jamie explained himself, sensing that his older brother was afraid he'd brush Noble off as a lesser threat than he had the potential to be because of his perceived good deed for not killing the guy._

 _"Still pretty damn sadistic," Frank concluded. If that's what Noble did to a dealer that sold him bad drugs, what would he do if he made Jamie out as an undercover cop?_

 _"Yeah," Jamie agreed, letting his bewilderment over Noble Sanfino go for the moment._

 _"All right, so what are you gonna do about it?" Danny asked, wanting to hear only one thing - that his kid brother was done playing with the mob. He could see the kid was nervous just talking about it._

 _"Only thing I can do," Jamie shrugged, "w_ _ait for OCCB to put me back in." His stomach may still be tied up in knots, but he really wanted to do this._

 _"You still have a choice," Frank reminded him with a pointed look. "_ _You can still walk away." Like Danny, that was what Frank also wished Jamie would do._

 _Jamie shook his head. He was a cop and he wanted to make a difference. Was he a ball of nerves last night who only by the grace of God managed to not throw up when pulled aside by Phil Sanfino for a chat or while watching the dealer OD right in front of him? Hell, yes. But he had a job to do and he wanted to make a name for himself through his work and not because of who his father was. "Not if I want to really contribute."_

 _"Dinner!"_

 _Frank and Danny each looked Jamie in the eyes before walking away, Danny unable to hide the concern on his face. It wasn't what they wanted to hear, but Jamie was his own man and a very capable officer. They had to trust him to do his job and to know when he was in over his head._

"Dad," Danny answered the call in a tone that had Frank cursing his gut before he got any other words out. "We've got a problem."

"What's wrong?" Frank asked, immediately drawing the attention of his father.

"I'm on my way to Jamie's building. A 911 call came in about an unconscious female found in the stairwell. The unit sitting out front heard the call and went in."

Frank's stomach tightened, already fearing the worst. "Is it Eddie?"

"Baez is on the line with one of them now waiting for confirmation, but Jamie and Eddie aren't answering their phones. The other officer was on his way up to their apartment...I don't have a good feeling about this, Dad," Danny confessed.

"Neither do I," Frank replied honestly. "I'll meet you there. You call me as soon as you know anything, Danny." He lowered the phone and stared at it before taking a deep breath.

"What's happening, Francis?" Henry asked softly, afraid of the answer he would receive.

Frank explained the situation as he instructed his detail to turn back around.

"Dear Lord," Henry sighed as he watched his son get ready to head back out, sending a prayer up to the heavens for the safety of his grandkids. "I'm coming with you."

"I'd feel better if you stayed here, pop. In case we're overreacting and they're already headed back home," Frank requested.

"If you thought that was possible, you wouldn't look the way you do, Francis," Henry countered sadly.

It was impossible for Frank to hide anything from the older man, but he still prayed that Jamie and Eddie were safe and just stuck on the bridge headed out of the city. "Let's hope for the best," he replied as he walked out the door with his coat clenched tightly in his hands.

* * *

The street was lined with RMPs by the time Frank's dark SUV arrived in front of Jamie and Eddie's apartment building. A dizzying array of lights bounced off the building's brick facade as several officers milled around, each standing at attention when they noticed the PC's arrival. Frank was rushing through one of the rear doors before the vehicle came to a complete stop, his long legs quickly carrying him to the building's front entrance where a pair of EMTs were wheeling out a stretcher with a small, trembling woman safely secured on top. Frank's brow furrowed as he stared at the sobbing woman, part of him relieved it wasn't his daughter-in-law while the other part still worried if his kids were safe.

A sudden movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and Frank turned to find the concerned face of his son approaching. "What do we know? Who is that?" he pointed at the medics.

Danny sent a knowing look to Baez who'd been walking alongside him, but instead of joining her partner to report back to the PC, she followed the EMTs and their patient to the awaiting ambulance.

"That's the woman that was found unconscious," Danny said, worry now permanently etched on his face.

"Who is she?" Frank inquired again.

"Leah Daubert. She's Eddie and Jamie's next door neighbor. And," Danny paused to let out a heavy sigh as he motioned for his father to follow him back into the building, "apparently she's been dating Eric Weller for the past several weeks."

"What?!" Frank asked, dutifully following behind his son, desperate to understand what was going on.

A number of officers were scattered in the lobby taking statements from various residents as their PC walked by making his way to the rear of the building.

"Yeah. Dad, that's not the worst of it. Jamie and Eddie, they're gone," Danny announced as he came to a halt at the building's rear stairwell near the back exit which stood open.

Frank could see flashlights moving about the darkened alley, making Danny's words more real, but he could do no more that stare back in shock.

"Baez is going to head to the hospital with the neighbor to finish getting the rest of her statement, but he ambushed them back here using her as bait and took off with them in her car. I already got a BOLO out on it," Danny explained.

"How the hell does that happen?!" Frank snapped out of concern for his kids.

"Sanfino has been in and out of this building this whole time we've been looking for him, dad. He must have been looking for a way in, spotted this Leah woman coming or going one day and talked a good game."

Frank's jaw clenched tightly as he battled to maintain his temper, the father in him wishing Jamie had let fate deal with Noble Sanfino instead of offering him a chance to save himself all of those years ago.

"And she turns out to be their damn neighbor. Jesus, this is a giant clusterfu-" Danny growled.

"There's been nothing but a wall separating them all of this time," Frank muttered in frustration.

Danny nodded, tormenting himself with thoughts about what Noble Sanfino was really capable of. "We're still waiting to get more out of the neighbor," he said as a thought hit him. "Dad, this guy, he reached out to that dealer he tortured that one time. He bought the same stuff he forced down his throat."

Frank didn't need Danny to say anything else. Neither of them wanted to think about what Sanfino could do to Jamie and Eddie while in his clutches, much less with a collection of narcotics in his possession, remembering well the incident with the dealer after Jamie first went on assignment. "You get whoever you need on this case, Danny. I want them found before Sanfino does anymore harm. And this time he's going to end up behind bars like the rest of his family."

"Yes, sir."


	18. Chapter 18

_This is it...three pretty intense chapters coming up and Noble's plans are finally revealed. I think maybe one person may have guessed what the plans were but they wouldn't say, LOL! We'll see if they were right._

Chapter 18

Noble strolled around the perimeter of the room, smirking smugly at the couple who sat across from each other at one of the few remaining cafe tables in the abandoned space and were securely bound to heavy, wooden frame chairs. Jamie was still unconscious when they had arrived at the old bar, making him easier to move. The wife, on the other hand, had come to just before. She'd tried to put up a fight and had almost been successful in kicking him where it would definitely hurt him the most if not for his quick refexes. Relentlessly uncooperative, he had to resort to tossing her over his shoulder in fireman's carry and tie her to the chair before he could move on to his next party guest. But she simmered down once she saw him dragging her dear husband in from the car and it had not been long after that Jamie came to from his forced nap, frightened and angry to see Eddie with a grinning Noble standing right behind her.

"Must be strange to be back here, huh, Jimmy?" Noble grimaced apologetically as if suddenly remembering he had the name wrong. "Sorry, think I'll stick to Jimmy if you don't mind. Jamie just doesn't seem right."

Jamie did recognize where they were...it was were it all began for him with Noble and with no clue as to details of their history together, Eddie had no way of understanding what was going on or what Noble was alluding to most of the time. Ignoring the throbbing ache of his head, Jamie's jaw clenched as anger bubbled just below the surface, anger that was aimed not only at Noble, but at himself as well. He was cursing himself for falling into his trap and dragging Eddie down with him. Jamie looked over at his wife, his eyes narrowing in on the light bruise on her right cheek as he tried to silently convey to her that everything would be alright, even when his own confidence was beginning to waiver.

"You might not recognize it now," Noble carried on, unfazed by the daggers Jamie was sending his way, "it's been a couple different things since you and I were here, I looked it up - hipster coffee shop, sushi place and some other forgettable business ventures." Noble came to stop in between the pair and casually crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Yup, this place must be cursed," he sighed before focusing on Eddie. "Hey, did you know that the last time I was here with your new husband, he was helping me get even with the dealer that sold me some bad drugs? I really thought he was a pal. He saved my life and then stood by my side while I exacted a little revenge on the schmuck. You know, I guess if you really think about it, this whole mess with you," Noble said, turning to point at Jamie, "never would have happened if that bastard hadn't sold me the bad mash. Guess I should have done a lot more than just send him to the hospital, huh?"

Jamie was sick and tired of the games and couldn't reign in the anger any longer. "What the hell do you want, Noble?!" he barked.

Noble tsked at the reaction. He'd done a hell of a job of putting this all together and Reagan was sure as hell going to hear him out. "I don't think you're in any position to be making demands, Jimmy. But since you asked so nicely, I wanted to take you on a trip down memory lane, buddy."

Jamie's stomach dropped as he considered each aspect of that assignment and all of the things he had endured and seen as a result. But none of it involved his wife and he would do anything he could to get her out of this, even if it meant that he went along with whatever Noble had planned. "This has nothing to do with Eddie. Just let her go, alright?" he pleaded.

"Jamie!" Eddie snapped in return. She knew what he was up to, she could see it in his eyes, but she didn't want him to sacrifice himself for her safety. She couldn't bear to see him hurt because of her and she was afraid that if Sanfino let her go she might never see Jamie again.

"See, I really don't believe you. You turned out to be nothing but a liar. You took advantage -"

"You weren't innocent!" Jamie bellowed.

"Yeah, so you said before. What'd you call me? A criminal?" Noble snarled, the last word bitterly rolling off his tongue. "Like I was saying, you took advantage of me. I welcomed you into my family - my inner circle - and I lost everything because of what you did. You deserve to pay for that," he said as he moved behind Eddie, putting his hands on her shoulders as he faced Jamie head on. Eddie attempted to shrug Noble off of her, but his hands remained in place as Jamie seethed inwardly.

"I saved your life twice you freaking idiot!" Jamie spat back as he struggled in the chair. He didn't want to hear Noble talking about himself as the poor victim anymore, he'd done it years ago and he was still doing it now. And he sure as hell didn't want him touching Eddie either.

"And with Eddie here," Noble continued, ignoring the outburst as he pulled the chair she was bound to back a few feet, "I think you're more inclined to listen to what I have to say and follow my directions."

Noble came around and blocked Jamie's view of his wife. "You're right though, it would be horrible to see her hurt through no fault of her own." Noble reached out and grasped the long locks of hair at back of her head tightly, forcing her to look up at him.

"Let go!" Eddie demanded as she tried twisting out of his grasp, but Noble's grip only increased, holding her firmly in place.

"Get your hands off her!" Jamie screamed from the other side of the table.

"She's feisty, huh?" Noble chortled, thinking that this was going to be a lot more fun than he expected.

"Noble, I swear to god!" Jamie hissed, his face now bright red as his struggles with the bindings around his ankles and wrists increased.

"That why you married her?" Noble taunted as he finally released Eddie and stepped back to get a view of them both.

Eddie's eyes grew glassy from anger and fear and she avoided Jamie's gaze in an effort to hide those emotions from him. He was already feeling responsible for this and he felt an increasing obligation to keep Noble away from her; the last thing she wanted to do was to add to that.

"Well, I mean I know why you married her. I got a close up view of your domestic bliss, after all."

"Shut your mouth, Noble!" Jamie roared.

Noble chuckled at the rage he had so easily elicited from his prisoner. "Bianca would be really disappointed if she could see you now. Guess it was my fault that never happened for you two. But you screwed up and you eventually put bro code before your fling with her...made me think you really cared." Noble paused to check his wristwatch. This was all fun, but he really had to get things rolling. "Enough of this. I got places to take you...to our next stop on this little trip down memory lane!" he declared as he rummaged around in his bag, dropping it on the floor when he found a clear plastic bag inside.

Jamie's heart was ready to burst out of his chest his chest as a clear image flashed across his mind of a dealer who once also sat right here tied to a chair. "What are you doing?"

"Come on, Jimmy," Noble smiled sadistically as he carefully laid out a filled hypodermic needle and a small pouch of the special blend he'd thrown together with his purchase from Richie. "Think real hard to the last time you were here," he pressed, hoping Jamie would remember the incident with the dealer on his own.

Eddie stared wide-eyed at the drugs on the table, there was no doubt that's what they were, but even without knowing exactly what they were, she was terrified of what Sanfino planned to do with them. "What is that? Jamie?"

Jamie could only focus on the items on display, his mouth running dry at what he now knew Noble was planning to do.

"Do you want to tell her or should I?" Noble asked, but quickly chose to forge on with a resounding clap of his hands. "You know what? Let me, you're looking like it's all coming back to you right now."

"Y-you can't be serious," Jamie sputtered nervously.

"Oh, but I am, my friend," came the rapid reply.

Eddie was done being left out of the conversation, especially after seeing the sheer panic on Jamie's face. "What's going on?" she demanded.

Noble turned to give Eddie his full and complete attention. "See, when Jimmy and I were last here, I was teaching my other buddy, Richie, a lesson...gave him a taste of his own medicine, you might say."

Eddie glanced between the items on the table and Jamie who was starting to sweat. "What is that?" she asked, but Jamie was lost in a memory and did not answer her right away.

 _"Richie! You look like crap," Noble commented, getting a cheap thrill just from seeing the dealer already drenched in a cold sweat._

 _"I'm so sorry, man! Please, let me make it up to you!" the terrified man pleaded._

 _"Oh. Yeah. You're gonna," Noble promised as he glanced at his new friend. He wouldn't be here if Jimmy hadn't gotten him some help that night._

 _Jamie's stomach twisted into knots as he remembered Lieutenant Arbogast's instructions - observe but don't get involved. He found that impossible to understand with the mindset of a police officer._

 _"Please," Richie begged remorsefully._

 _Noble ignored the pleas for leniency, crossing his arms as he eyed man who'd sent his life into a tailspin. "Yeah, because of you, I spent two nights in the hospital and then got sent up for 30 days in rehab," he explained calmly but the anger was beginning to rise to the surface._

 _"I got that stuff from my usual guy. I had no idea -" Richie tried explaining._

 _"Because of you, my life didn't just fall off the rails, man," Noble continued as he grabbed a chair, bracing himself against it as he stared the dealer down. "It went down the embankment, through the orphanage and into the gas tanks. I mean, I ought to kill you," he declared with wild, maniacal eyes._

 _"Please," came another plea as Richie began to tremble in earnest._

 _All of a sudden, the crazed expression was replaced with a serene self-righteousness as Noble bore into Richie's eyes. "But step nine of the twelve steps instructs us to make amends. So let's you and me make amends, huh?" he proposed with a smirk that sent a chill down his captive's spine._

 _It was at that moment, when Noble glanced in his direction with a glimmer in his eye like he was just catching up with an old friend and not planning some sick sort of revenge, that Jamie realized Noble might not be better than any other member of the family that OCCB was looking to put away. Whatever he planned to do to make amends with the dealer, Noble seemed to have no qualms about hurting this man. Jamie just didn't know how far he would take this and that had him preparing himself for the possibility that he may be a witness to a murder here tonight._

 _"No," Richie cried._

 _"Yeah. It's on me," Noble smiled._

 _"No," Richie repeated and turned to Jamie, silently begging him to intervene somehow._

 _All Jamie could do in return was to look on as if unaffected. He was disturbed by the terror in the man's eyes and had to look away, hating that there was nothing he could do to help him. But his job - as much as he hated it right now - was to observe and when he refocused on Noble, he found him unfolding a one hundred dollar bill and depositing a white powder he had stashed within onto the glass table, separating it into three neat lines like a practiced user._

 _Satisfied with the job he'd done, Noble sat back, waiting for the show to begin._

 _And it was a show as Richie struggled against Noble's demands 'to take his medicine' and his efforts to physically shove his face into the drugs on the table until Noble reminded him of the damage his goons would cause if he didn't obey. Soon after Richie snorted the first line, Noble sat back, satisfied when the other man was riding the first high. But Noble was far from done._

 _Jamie had to force himself to stand still. He had been shifting nervously from one foot to the other, looking very much like the rookie he was and so uncomfortable with what he was witnessing that he had to remind himself of the task at hand. "What's in it?" he asked with a curious tone so that he could report back._

 _"Oh, it's, uh, crystal meth," Noble shrugged nonchalantly, "and some smack to, uh, counter the meth...and a heaping helping of pure LSD so the whole thing will be a lasting memory."_

 _Jamie forced a smile as Noble laughed in his direction, feeling as if Noble was seeking his approval for the show he was putting on._

 _End Flashback_

"Meth, heroine and LSD," Jamie whispered, but it was loud enough for both Eddie and Noble to hear. He broke out into a cold sweat much like Richie had as his focus remained on the items sitting on the tabletop.

"See! I knew you'd remember!" Noble said gleefully as Eddie looked on in horror.


	19. Chapter 19

_Work's really getting in the way of my posting schedule! Very interested to see what you all think of this next chapter._

Chapter 19

Noble whistled merrily as he pulled an old rolling chair over for himself.

Jamie continued to struggle against his bindings as he glanced over at Eddie. His throat burned at the panic he saw in her beautiful blue eyes; it cut him to the core to see her in this involved in any of this, it had nothing to do with her. "You can't do this, Noble," he said, fighting to keep his voice even.

Noble was busy dumping the contents of a small glassine bag onto the table, tapping the edge of Eric Weller's useless credit card along the surface to make sure the drugs were crushed into a fine powder, mimicking what he had done to Richie years ago. "Oh, but I can," he grinned. "It's your turn to take your medicine."

Jamie shook his head and attempted to wet his lips as he debated what, if anything, he could say to get through to Noble, he just wasn't sure how calm he would be able to remain while he pleaded their case, but he had to try. "Noble, listen to me, let us go, man. We'll pretend none of this ever happened. Just walk away, go back to Colorado, go back to your life there -"

"Life?!" Noble barked with a crazed look that had Eddie shirking away from him. He turned to face Jamie and pinned him with a smoldering glare. "Is that some sort of joke!? I have no life there! My life was here and you took it away!"

The patented Reagan Irish temper Jamie was so good at keeping in check broke free as Noble did it again, dumped the blame for all of his misery at his feet. "Stop with the pity party already! You're family was going to kill you! Don't you get that?! And they could still come after you!"

"Jamie," Eddie warned quietly, not wanting him to make things worse no matter how true his words were.

"Because of you! Because I was stupid enough to fall for your little 'buddy' act!" Noble screamed while jamming his finger into the center of Jamie's chest.

"You came looking for me, you idiot!" Jamie spat in his face, taking deep breaths when he was done as if he'd just gone ten rounds in the ring.

Noble's face became pinched with anger, a miniscule part of him agreeing that he had sought Jimmy out for a long time before his calls were finally answered, but the self-righteous narcissist in him would never admit that out loud. "And now it's time for you to pay for everything I've lost."

"No! We're not doing this!" Jamie yelled.

"Yes, you are!" Noble growled as he went back to forming a neat, straight line with the drugs. "I could try forcing you like I did to Richie, practically shoving his face into the stuff before I gave him a more convincing little nudge. That might be fun, but even better would be to see which one of you will be the first to sacrifice yourself for the other." Noble picked up the syringe and brought it to eye level as he studied the cloudy liquid inside. "I bet all I'd have to do is get near your beautiful wife here like this," he said as he rolled his chair in front of Eddie, blocking Jamie's view of her again.

Eddie flinched away from Noble as he ran the back of two fingers down the side of her face. She tried blinking away the tears filling her eyes, knowing he was using her again to get to Jamie and didn't utter a word out of fear that her voice would crack and give proof of how terrified she was.

"Noble, I swear to God, I'm going to kill you!"

"You can't do that, you're a good guy. I'm the criminal, remember?" Noble said calmly as he smiled back at Eddie.

Eddie swallowed thickly, summoning the courage to keep it together. "You're not getting away with this," she proclaimed as her chest rose and fell with each breath she took, trying to remain strong and defiant for herself and for Jamie.

Noble thought it was cute that she was putting up a brave front. "I think I am," he said before pulling the cap off the syringe with his teeth and spitting it out to one side. Noble bunched up the sleeve of her sweater and ran the tip of the needle along the length of her forearm, lightly scratching the surface of her delicate skin. Eddie grimaced at the sensation, fearing that he'd make good on his threats and plunge the needle into her arm.

"Leave her alone, Noble!" Jamie ordered as he kept fighting to get free.

Noble carried on, seeing how far he could take this before his friend caved, because he would cave. And if he didn't, he'd have some more fun with the blonde instead. "I've seen how feisty you can get. Not normally my thing, but it was kinda hot," he whispered as fingered the necklace that lay along the soft skin of her chest.

Jamie couldn't take this anymore. Eddie might hate him for it, but he couldn't take seeing her touched or hurt by Noble or anyone else. He would do whatever it took to protect her. "I'll do it! I'll do whatever you want! Just stop...let her go," he pleaded.

"Jamie, no!" Eddie cried from behind Noble.

"Jamie, yes!" Noble chuckled, rolling away from Eddie and placing the syringe back onto the table as he retook his position between them. "See? That didn't take long. You're a true gentleman, Jimmy."

"Jamie...," Eddie trailed off as fat tears rolled down her cheeks. "Please...don't do this," she cried.

Jamie swallowed the lump in his throat, his vision blurry through his own tears as he looked back at the desperation on her face. "Let her go, Noble," he choked out.

"That depends on how well your medicine goes down. And don't worry, considering that you're most likely a virgin when it comes to these things, I won't force you to take too much. Just enough to make you...pliable." Noble rolled closer to Jamie, producing a short, clear straw from his pocket. "You ready, Jimmy?"

"Let her go first," Jamie ordered.

Noble snorted in response. "Seriously? Do you think I'm that stupid?"

"I'm not doing this until you let her go," Jamie stated as he and Eddie silently stared into each other's eyes, he begged for forgiveness while she pleaded him not to play into Noble's game.

"You have no say in this, man. Now, you either do as you're told or I roll back over to your wife and jam that needle in her arm. And I promise you, I'll give you a full view of it," he threatened.

"Don't do this, please!" Eddie begged both men.

Jamie closed his eyes, unable to look at Eddie who was crying softly now. He had no assurances that Noble wouldn't hurt her if he did this, his word was completely worthless but it was all he had. he could only hope that he would let Eddie go and that she could get help, or at the very least, save herself. When he opened them again, it was to look at his wife, the love of his life. Seeing her like this was killing him and he had to take several breaths to get the next words out. "I love you, Eddie Reagan...so much," he declared in a voice thick with emotion.

Eddie didn't want to say it back, afraid that if she did it might the last time she would. But she needed him to hear those words from her too before she broke down any further. "I love you too, Jamie."

Noble rolled his eyes at the two saps. "Come on, man. This isn't a death sentence. Not yet at least."

"Shut up!" Jamie spat back.

"Then do it." Noble grabbed Jamie by the hair and forced his head down as he brought the straw to his nose.

Jamie struggled against Noble, his breath coming out in harsh puffs that blurred the crisp edges of the thick white line Noble had carefully formed on the table.

"You're making a mess! Now do it or I shove the needle in your wife's arm...I'll see how much fun she is then," Noble threatened in his ear.

Jamie whimpered, the sound pathetic to his own ears even over the cries coming from Eddie. He squeezed his eyes shut and allowed Noble to guide his head along the table, breathing in as he prayed to a merciful God that Eddie would get out of this unharmed, already giving up all hope for himself as an intense burn shot through his head and thrust him back against the chair. Jamie groaned as he pushed away from the table. His head was on fire, producing a sharp pain that was short-lived but left a lasting impression on Eddie as she watched her husband suffer for her sake.

"You're going to kill him! Jamie!?" she sobbed.

"You did it man! Little Jameson Reagan lost his cherry! Congratulations!" Noble clapped the other man on the shoulder before turning questioning eyes toward Eddie. "Why are you crying, sweetheart? Look at him! He's gonna start feeling a hell of a lot better than either of us in a minute."

Eddie was seething inside, all of the fear was gone and replaced with an burning anger. She swore she would kill Noble with her very own hands if given the chance. "You need to stop this now! Just go! Leave us alone!"

"Oh, but I'm not done with Jimmy!"

Jamie sighed in relief as the burn began to ease away, leaving him feeling floaty and heavy all at the same time. His head rolled loosely on his neck until it finally fell back and a warm buzz flowed through his body while muffled voices bounced around him.

"Look at him. He's coming around again. It's just the first initial hit that's a real kicker for you newbies," Noble laughed several moments later while Eddie continued to call out to Jamie. "We gotta give him some time, then we can have some real fun."

Time passed until the drugs fully kicked in and a heavy nausea settled along with them, made worse as Noble and Eddie danced around him in dizzying circles. Jamie closed his eyes, willing it all to go away.

Eddie sucked in several deep breaths to calm herself, desperate to know that he was okay. "Jamie, honey? Please, talk to me."

"Wanna go...home," he mumbled as he tried to get out of his chair, tears rolling down his face again. There was something wrong here, a sense of foreboding surrounded him, so strong it was stifling but he couldn't understand why. Jamie squinted at Eddie as the lights behind her began to twinkle like the ones on their Christmas tree, all in rhythm to his racing heart. He stared at her with unblinking eyes hoping to make everything clear again and understand why she was here... _why was he here?_ Her beautiful, silky hair glowed like a halo around her head and all he could think was... _my angel._.. _she was so good to him...she shouldn't be here._

"Jimmy, time to look at me, buddy," Noble instructed as he slapped Jamie on the cheek to get his attention.

Jamie turned slowly toward Noble as the world spun around them in circles like some ride at the carnival. Sweat began to dot his forehead as the room grew uncomfortably hot. "Why's...she here?"

"She was key to getting you here, man,"Noble explained. "But no worries. I'll set her free in a minute," he added as he pulled Jamie's gun from the waistband of his jeans, pleased that he now had the real thing and not some kid's toy.

Jamie stared back as Noble's words sank into his brain, his attention then drawn to the weapon and a single thought came to mind. "You promised," he reminded him, somehow that one thought cutting through the haze of the drugs.

"Of course I did," Noble confirmed.

"Tha's a gun," Jamie mumbled hurriedly as his head followed the dark trail left by piece Noble was waving around until it came to a stop right in front of Eddie.

"Very good," Noble chuckled.

"What are you doing?" Eddie asked in a panic.

"Having fun with your husband."

"No...please," Jamie begged with an exaggerated shake of his head, forcing a few droplets of sweat to break free and trickle along his hairline. Somehow the implied threat was clear in his mind while everything else was lost in utter confusion.

"You wanted me to let her go," Noble explained as he came around to face Eddie.

"She has...to go," Jamie gasped, as in _away from here_ , very far away where she would be safe, but he couldn't get his mouth to cooperate the rest of this thoughts.

"You're right. She does. In one minute, I'm gonna squeeze the trigger of your gun here and put a round square through her chest," he explained in a slow and dramatic fashion so that every word as clear to Jamie.

Jamie shook his head from side to side as if that would be enough to stop him. "No!" he cried while his eyes remained frozen on the scene before him. He could see Noble lifting the gun and aiming it directly at Eddie and there was nothing he could do to stop him but listen to her deafening cries for help.

"Wait! Jamie!?" Eddie pleaded as she writhed in her chair, desperate to get away somehow, praying that she wouldn't lose her life here, not like this and not while Jamie watched in horror.

But Noble wouldn't back down. All he did was send his old friend a dark smile as his finger began to squeeze the trigger. "It will all be over soon," he soothed as he fired once.

"No!" Jamie screamed as the barrel of the gun exploded in a brilliant flash of light.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"No," Jamie whimpered over and over again in between gut-wrenching sobs as Eddie sat bleeding from her chest right across from him. The blood was an electric shade of red that glowed bright as it spread quickly and evenly in every direction, replacing the muted heather-gray of the sweater she wore. "Blood," he blurted out as if trying to make the only other occupant in the room see that she was in trouble. Eddie's body jerked with each effort she made to draw air into her lungs as wide terrified eyes implored him for help. "She can't breathe!" Jamie howled. He struggled to get to her with the heavy chair and all until a pair of strong hands clamped down onto his shoulders to still him. All he could do was stare in horror while the air swirled around her twitching frame with none of it flowing into her.

Astonished by all that he had accomplished so far, Noble let out a low whistle as he observed the distressed blonde. "That's a lot of blood, man. You know, I've never shot anyone before," he commented proudly.

"J," Eddie cried when she was able to draw in a painful breath. It had taken her several minutes to realize what had happened after the sharp crack of the gunshot left her holding her breath and she waited for the fiery pain of the bullet wound to set in. When none came, she opened her eyes to see the snide grin on Noble's face while Jamie's screams erupted behind him. Seconds before he pulled the trigger, Noble shifted his aim, firing over her right shoulder into the bar behind her. And while Eddie thanked God she hadn't been shot, she realized this was another element to Noble's sick, maniacal game in which Jamie was trapped in his own worst nightmare, envisioning everything Noble described because of the drugs altering his perception. "Don't listen to him, Jamie! Honey, look at me!" she begged when Jamie's agonized sobs drew her attention away from the heartless man in front of her.

"No, man, really. It looks bad!" Noble turned and pointed to Eddie, as if really concerned about a gunshot wound. "Listen to her, man! She's in horrible pain!"

"Shut up, Sanfino!" Eddie screamed while turning back to her husband. "I'm fine, Jamie! Please, honey! Please look at me!" she urged him in a voice much stronger than she was actually feeling as Jamie's head dropped to his chest and he cried softly, mumbling nonsensically as he imagined his life without her in it. Eddie's heart was breaking with each whimper. She thought that if he just looked her in the eyes - if she could connect with him - he'd see that she was alright.

But Jamie couldn't look at her. All he saw was his wife bleeding out, the energy and light that made her uniquely Eddie fading as she died a horrible death right before his very own eyes. At that point, the nausea that had settled deep within him became unbearable and he quickly lurched to one side, losing the meager contents of his stomach.

Noble grimaced in disgust, taking two quick steps back to avoid any splatter. "Whoa, disgusting! You okay buddy?" He took up a spot on the other side of the table, clear of the nasty mess and continued with the cruel commentary, hoping to send Jamie further into the nightmare he'd painted for him. "I know this is a lot of blood to take in, but you're a cop, man. I'm sure you've seen worse, especially in a place like New York."

"Shut up!" Eddie screamed as she watched Jamie take deep, gulping breaths, his face a horrible shade of green as his stomach continued to roll. "Jamie, I'm right here!"

Noble ignored the hysterics, thrilled that he was successful yet again in making someone see exactly what terrified them the most. "This is all on you, man. That's probably why you're feeling so sick. You could have stopped this." He piled on the guilt that he knew would eat at Jamie so easily. "She's dying, barely able to breathe now," he added sadly as he slapped the side of Jamie's head to get his attention. "Just look!"

"Stop it! Jamie!"

Every time Jamie heard Eddie's voice in his head, they were deafening cries of pain and pleas for help, painful to hear because there was nothing he could do to help her. Her words hung in the air, just more fingers pointed back at him for causing all of this...he knew there was no way he would ever get over this when she finally died.

"Don't listen to him. I'm fine, Jamie," she swore. "Please!"

"Come on, buddy. You shouldn't be around to see her like this," Noble said, concerned that the blonde would destroy the images he had placed in Jamie's head. He leaned over to cut at the bindings around Jamie's arms and legs; it was time to leave this place anyway and head to another location where the young officer had managed to leave an indelible impression on the Sanfino family.

"No, no, no! What are you doing!?" Eddie asked in a panic as Noble manhandled Jamie.

"No," Jamie argued as Noble pulled him up by the arm, weakly pushing him away. "Wanna stay...with Eddie," he cried, swaying as he finally stood on his own two feet. He couldn't just leave here all alone, he needed to hold her and took his first wobbly step to approach her still and bloodied form.

"Yes! Jamie, I'm here," Eddie encouraged him when she saw him move toward her.

Noble reached out to steady the deluded man and prevent him from getting closer to his wife. "Not a good idea. It will only make it worse to see her laying here _dead_ ," Noble said, emphasizing the last word to make sure it reverberated in Jamie's head.

"I'm not dead, Jamie!" Eddie shouted as the tears began to flow again from Jamie's red, swollen eyes. She struggled against the duct tape holding her down, only managing to get the chair to scrape a few inches closer to the two men.

"Dead? No," Jamie shook his head, raising his arm to wipe at his eyes and runny nose. He could still hear her. _She couldn't be dead, could she?_ he asked himself in confusion. She couldn't be dead. He couldn't give up on her. Maybe there was a chance he could still help her, if he just get to her...

"I'm fine," Eddie assured him as she watched him make additional attempts to get to her. His glassy eyes were searching her out; she was sure she was getting through to him now.

Jamie fought past the confusion, not understanding how he'd been grieving for Eddie one moment...but now? Now a hope burned deep in his heart and he took another shaky step toward his wife.

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing Sergeant Reagan!?" Noble asked in an authoritative tone as he stopped his progression with a firm grip on his bicep.

Jamie frowned at Noble, stating the obvious. "Gotta help."

"No, you can't! This is a crime scene, Sergeant!" Noble told him, banking on Reagan being a stickler for procedure and following orders while Eddie continued to call out to him. "You have procedure to follow. Crime scene people have to take pictures and do whatever it is that they do, right? Take a look for yourself," he said while nodding to Eddie.

"Crime scene?" he whispered as his face crumbled again, riding the wave back down to depression.

"Jamie! No, don't listen to him! I know I got through to you! You heard me! I'm okay!" she stressed. "Damn you, Sanfino!"

"Your father, the Police Commissioner, would be pissed if you didn't follow procedure. You'll disappoint him again, you've already made a mess of things as it is. He'll take good care of Eddie for you."

Jamie shook his head sadly as he began to shut down and slid to the floor. There was nothing left for him to do now if his father and the department were stepping in...he'd failed her.

"No you don't, we got places to go, buddy. Come on now," Noble prodded him along.

Eddie began to panic as Noble picked up his knapsack, preparing to leave her behind. "Where...where are you taking him?"

"I told you already, a trip down memory lane," he said as he leaned Jamie up against the bar, freeing his hands of the despondent man to tear a piece of tape from the roll he'd left on the counter.

"What the hell does that mean?! Where?!"

"You'll have to figure it out on your own, sweetheart...but not for a while."

"No, please don't do this! Please leave -" Eddie pleaded as Noble slapped the tape across her mouth.

"Sorry I have to do this, but you probably won't stay quiet for long if I don't and I need a little time to get your husband out of here. Man, he's as high as a kite!" Noble turned to look at a wobbly, now eerily-quiet Jamie who seemed lost in some sort of trance, surely re-imagining all of the horrors he'd put in his head. He pulled Jamie's arm across his shoulders, mindful of the soiled areas of his shirt when he reach around his waist to help him out. Jamie fell into Noble, allowing him to carry most of his weight now that his body had no desire or strength to move. "Whoa! You're a lot heavier than you look, pal," Noble complained as he moved the other man along to the back exit. "Eddie, it was a pleasure," he threw over his shoulder. "Come on, Jimmy. I got our ride waiting for us," he said, leaving Eddie behind, her muffled screams doing little but causing her more heartache as she feared she'd never see Jamie again.

* * *

 _Well?_ _Thoughts?_

 _My apologies to the reviewer who is finding this a bit long. I don't know if it's good news or bad news, but I still have 6 chapters to post before this is all wrapped up, so there you have it. There is an end in sight. :)_


	21. Chapter 21

_The ride's not over for Jamie, but it's time to switch back to the investigation and a couple of very worried family members. Don't worry though, we'll be seeing no the Eddie and Jamie real soon._

Chapter 21

Despite the late hour, the main conference room at 1PP was at capacity as Frank had ordered the investigation into his officers' abductions be conducted just a few short paces from his office. No one dared to question whether or not that was solely because of the missing officers' connection to the Commissioner, but everyone was in agreement on one thing - they needed every available resource to locate and ensure their safe return. No matter what their last names were, they were NYPD family to all of them.

Danny checked in with one of the TARU techs who had been working diligently to get a hit on Jamie's phone which had not been located in or near the apartment building, but so far they had nothing. Danny sighed in frustration as he looked to the closed door connecting the conference room to his father's office. He'd been with them while Danny hand-picked a number of their best detectives from Major Crimes to scour through the old OCCB files on the Sanfino-Cavazerre investigation and Maria doled out several other assignments in search of anything that would lead them to Sanfino and their missing officers. But after everyone dived into their tasks, a sullen Frank Reagan had retreated into the confines of his private office.

Danny decided it might be a good time to check in on the old man and quietly entered, finding his father staring out through the window at the darkened city below. "How are you holding up, dad?"

Frank didn't turn around and remained fixated on some distant point outside. "What do we know?" he asked in return, avoiding his son's question all together. He was doing about as well as any father would be while waiting for news on his missing children. But right now, he couldn't show any cracks, he needed to remain professional and focus on the investigation to get Eddie and Jamie back safely...anything to ignore the way his stomach twisted painfully with worry.

Danny bit the inside of his lip, seeing that deep down his father was struggling to hold it together just like he was, so he did the one thing that was helping him get through this and focused on the job...like father, like son. He hated to consider his little brother and his wife a case, but he might lose his cool if he didn't do just that. "Baez should be here any minute to update us on the girlfriend. TARU hasn't gotten a hit on Jamie's phone; they think it's off, but they're still at it in case the GPS pings," he reported.

Frank turned around, his PC mask firmly in place as he listened to his detective.

"We found nothing at Eddie and Jamie's apartment. It was spotless and locked up tight, so they must have cleaned up and headed out as soon as they were done. CSU is still processing the evidence from the neighbor's apartment, but we already confirmed Sanfino's prints at her place."

"That's a start but we need something to lead us to their current location," Frank pointed out. He didn't mean to come across as harsh, but he wanted them found as soon as possible.

"I got guys on that already, dad. Sanfino's been out of the city for years with no real connections unless he wants a hit squad after him. It was because he has no one here that he reached out to that dealer," Danny said.

"And we know he was quick to let it be known that Sanfino was back," Frank sighed, concerned that Sanfino would not be the only one they'd have to worry about.

"Yeah. Lucky for Sanfino, he was good about losing the dealer when he tried to tail him," Danny said, having had the same thought run across his mind. "The bastard has had luck on his side this whole damn time; must have sold his soul to the devil," he muttered before shaking his head to refocus. "Anyway, we're making a list of his old haunts so that we can start checking those places out first. I'm thinking he might return to places that are familiar to him. I got a guy working on his old apartment and businesses...any properties really. I'm afraid to leave anything out at this point. And another guy's going through Jamie's old reports for the places they hit together or anything else that might give us a lead."

A knock from the conference room door interrupted them and Maria Baez was soon walking in. She was hesitant to interrupt the two men, but she was smart enough to know they would be waiting for her.

Danny was relieved to see her, praying that Leah Daubert could provide them with a solid lead. "Hey. Did you get anything from the girlfriend?"

Maria acknowledged her boss through a silent nod before addressing both men. "Yeah. Just not certain if any of it will help. It took the docs a while to check her out and get her settled down enough to talk to me."

"What did she have to say?" Frank pressed.

"She first met Sanfino at the bodega around the corner from the apartment building almost a month ago. He struck up a conversation, flirted with her and they hit it off from there."

"I'm sure they did," Danny mumbled under his breath.

"Anyhow, she says they started dating and it wasn't long before he started coming over to her place and it was always to her place, he claimed he was settling back in town and sharing an apartment with an old friend. He never spent the whole night, some days they'd come home late after a night out and he'd leave before sun up, other times he'd reach out to her in the middle of the day for a quick -"

"So that's how he'd get in the building," Frank interrupted, sparing Maria from having to go into the those sordid details.

"And he knew Jamie and Eddie's work schedules, so he knew when to come and go," Danny added, growing more and more irate with each new piece of information.

"What else?" Frank prompted her along.

Maria took a breath and continued with everything else Leah Daubert had shared. "He asked her about her neighbors once. Claimed that they looked familiar to him. Leah said she didn't have much to say about Jamie and Eddie other than she knew they were cops and seemed nice enough. She said she really didn't speak to them much other than the usual pleasantries in the hallway when they were coming and going. She had no clue that he really had any more interest in them other than those few, general questions he had that one time."

"So what happened tonight?" Danny asked.

"It starts the night after Sanfino let it be known that he'd been watching them. She comes home with him-"

"Right past our guys?!" Danny barked.

"Yeah. Leah said they came home late from a bar, she was a little buzzed and he was all over her as they were making their way to the building," she added.

"Our people see nothing but guy all over his girl," Frank offered. He had no interest in laying any blame on anyone but the one person solely responsible for this mess.

"Unfortunately," Maria sighed with a grimace. "She mentioned to him that she was a little freaked out because something had happened next door that had the cops there for hours. That was when he offered to spend the night at her place. They go home, he has his fun with her and when she gets up the next morning for work, he convinces her to call in sick so they can play hooky, but that's when he turned on her. He tied her up, had her gagged and started to threaten and torment her if she didn't help him 'get the cops next door.' The docs found evidence of physical and sexual assault...that's how she spent the next two days."

"Sick bastard," Danny whispered along with some other more colorful language.

"And tonight?" Frank asked.

"They heard Jamie and Eddie moving around next door -"

"Sanfino guessed they'd come back eventually," Frank said.

Maria nodded at her boss. "Leah said that he was watching the hallway through her peephole and caught one of them coming and going with garbage. That's when he set up his trap at the rear of the building. He grabbed a couple of large boxes from someone's storage locker in the basement and had her waiting at the door with her car parked out back for what he hoped was another trash run by either Jamie or Eddie. He had a gun and told her he'd shoot her dead if she so much as uttered a word for help."

"Yeah, we found _his_ gun, damn thing was freaking toy. The stupid thing looked real to her, but now he's got Jamie's gun; his off duty weapon was no where to be found. Not in their apartment, the alley or the stairwell where Eddie's things were found with Daubert," Danny said, sending a worried glance in his father's direction.

Maria hated what she was about to report; it would be difficult for both her partner and her boss to hear. "Jamie was the first one down. He helped Leah with the box and Sanfino cold-cocked him when he was turned away at the trunk of her car. He then texted Eddie from Jamie's phone, she comes down and he grabbed her from behind. Leah said he choked her from behind, cutting off her air supply until she went limp."

Danny turned away, running a hand up and down his face angrily. It was going to take all his strength not to kill Sanfino with his bare hands once they found him.

Frank stood stock still, taking deep even breaths as he processed everything. "They're both still alive," he said firmly. He wasn't willing to accept any outcome other than they were alive and would come home in one piece.

"Sorry to interrupt, sir," the detective working the OCCB files came into the office after a quick knock on the door.

"What's going on, Melendez?" Danny questioned, knowing the man wouldn't have dared to interrupt them if it wasn't urgent.

The Detective Melendez glanced at Danny before his eyes landed on the highest ranking member of the department. "It's Officer Reagan, she's been found at a vacant restaurant site on the Upper East Side," he informed them quickly.

"Alone?" Frank asked worriedly.

"Yes, sir," Detective Melendez confirmed.

"Is she alright?" Danny asked already heading to the main doors of the office with his partner. Frank followed closely behind, reaching for his coat as he fully intended to go to the scene with them.

"As far as they can tell; she's asking for you both," Melendez advised as he walked with them to the elevators. "One more thing, detective."

"What is it?"

"The address, it's the same one we found in Sergeant Reagan's first report, where he first met Noble Sanfino."

Danny exchanged a look with his father as they waited for the elevator, his gut certain they were on the right track with Sanfino's old haunts. "Get me the locations of every place they hit together, you hear me?"

"On it."


	22. Chapter 22

_Early post today...I hope everyone enjoys a wonderful Valentine's Day filled with a little love and a whole lot of chocolate!_

Chapter 22

Eddie sat numb and dazed on the rear bumper of a bus outside of the vacant restaurant where Noble Sanfino had just managed to torture them in a way she couldn't have ever imagined. But it wasn't over yet, not with Jamie missing, drugged to the gills and stuck in some vivid, horrible nightmare where he'd sat by watching her bleed out from some imaginary gunshot wound.

Eddie pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle a sob, ignoring the concerned glances from the medics. She'd refused any treatment, repeatedly demanding only that Detective Reagan and Commissioner Reagan be contacted immediately. She had no doubt they were already looking for them and knew they were her only hope to bring Jamie home.

Unable to convince Eddie to let them examine her, one of the medics had placed a blanket over her shoulders to keep her warm, but it did nothing to quell the shakes that rocked her body as Jamie's painful sobs replayed in her mind. Eddie lowered her throbbing head, closing her eyes to shield them from the bright lights of the surrounding police cars as they teared up again, questioning if she'd ever see her husband again.

 _Bound and gagged, she could do little more than strain against the duct tape holding her down to the chair after Noble fled with Jamie, her screams for help coming out as nothing more than muffled cries which then turned into gut wrenching sobs as she wondered if either of them would ever be found. Eddie cried herself out eventually, feeling hopeless until she thought of her husband. If the tables were turned and she was missing, he wouldn't sit around cry about it. He'd find a way to get to her, despite being confined to a heavy wooden chair. Determined to figure a way out, Eddie strained her arms and legs against the bindings as she looked around the empty space. She had the front doors and windows hidden behind heavy rolling shutters on one side and on the other, a long hallway that led to the kitchen and rear exit Sanfino had used to bring them into this place. Eddie looked down at her arms, there was no give against the tape so she did the only thing she could do and dragged herself and her stupid chair towards the back of the restaurant, inch by painfully-slow inch._

 _Eddie hit a rhythm, breaking into a sweat with her continuous efforts, but hadn't gotten very far when a raucous at the back of the building startled her._ _She remained very still, breathing heavily through her nose while trying to figure out the source of the noise when suddenly the kitchen door swung open to reveal an equally startled man, a string of obscene curses bursting from his mouth while a pathetic whimper came from hers._

 _Fearful at first, Eddie's eyes widened as she took in the site of the seemingly-homeless man. Bundled up under a filthy, heavy wool coat and a fuzzy, pilled scarf and hat, the stranger made no attempt to move, except for his head which tilted in confusion as he studied the woman at the other end of the hall. Eddie's eyes watered and she begged for his help from behind the thick tape; he was her only hope now._

 _Leonard Alpert's brow creased in sympathy. Realizing that she certainly could not have tied herself to the chair, he approached slowly as he surveyed the room, looking for any other occupants or signs of threats. All he had been looking for was a warm place to spend the night and thought he hit the jackpot when he saw the door cracked open to what appeared to be a vacant building, the "for lease" sign up front assuring him he'd have at least one restful, mostly-warm night under shelter. Instead, he came face to face with a distressed young woman clearly being held against her will. Part of him told him to run, afraid of getting involved and maybe even getting blamed for whatever was going on, but the weepy blue eyes staring up at him together with the muffled whimpers that escaped through the gray tape meant to keep her quiet vanquished any desire to leave her here...he may be homeless, but that didn't make him heartless._

 _The large, burly man slowly reached out with one gloved hand. "Relax, young lady. I'm just gonna get this tape off you first," he advised her when she began to shirk away from him._

 _As desperate as Eddie was for anyone's help, the traumatized part of her mind feared he might be part of Noble's endless plans to torture them._

 _Leonard quickly removed his glove and picked at one edge of the tape. He grimaced in sympathy as he peeled it back but only enough to free it from her mouth, doing his best to be gentle._

 _Eddie took a few deep gulps of air before she broke into near-hysterics. "Oh my god! Thank you! Please, get help! Call the police!"_

 _"The homeless man panicked just at the mentioned of the word 'police', immediately regretting his attempt to help the woman. "Hey, I didn't do nothing!" Leonard shouted in his defense as he began to back away down the corridor away from any trouble. He knew he should have left as soon as he saw her in here!_

 _"No! Wait, please! Not because of you, I need to get help!" Eddie pleaded as she motioned down to her arms and legs. "Just cut me loose, uh...I don't know your name," she trailed off needing to put him at ease so that he would help her in return. She decided not to mention she was a cop in case that spooked him further. "Help me out of this chair and you can go, I swear!"_

 _The large man stared at her for several moments, debating what he should do, but something in her tone struck a chord with him. "Leonard," he replied cautiously, afraid of revealing his surname._

 _"Leonard, my name's Eddie. My husband, he's been taken and I need to call my family. Please, I need your help," she begged._

 _Leonard scratched his dark, scraggly beard as he considered her request. He looked around the room and spotted a similar chair with what looked like remnants of the same gray duct tape on the arms and legs. With that and her tear-stained face, he had a feeling he could probably trust her and, really, he just hated to see a lady in distress. "Uh, sure," Leonard said and pulled an out an old Swiss Army knife from his pocket - one of his very few possessions - and worked quickly and carefully to cut her loose before he took a step back._

 _Eddie sprung up from the chair, only to have her knees give out on her. Luckily,_ _Leonard caught her before she could hit the ground and eased her back into the chair she had struggled to get out of._

 _"Hey take it easy," he ordered._

 _"I need to get to a phone," Eddie pleaded as she clung to his meaty arms, surprised at how shaky she was feeling. Her vision had grayed around the edges as soon as she made a run for it, she guessed it might be shock but she needed to get passed it and call for help._

 _"Doesn't look like you're gonna get very far," he commented and paused to purse his lips. He wasn't sure why he was feeling so generous, but Leonard was offering her a solution before he even realized what he was doing. "I'll let you use the phone I, uh," Leonard paused when the woman gave him what he took to be a suspicious look, "found...but you gotta promise to give it back."_

 _Eddie raised a brow at the man. "You just found me tied up in here, last thing I'm worried about is where you got that phone."_

 _Leonard thought it over before deciding she was probably right. "I don't have service, but it makes emergency calls and connects to people's internet," he informed her as he handed it over._ _"What?" Leonard questioned the strange look he was receiving from the blonde. "I got interests. You're lucky I managed to charge it yesterday...just make sure you give it back," he said as he watched her dial 911._

 _It wasn't long after that call was made and she identified herself by name and badge number, which had Leonard fidgeting nervously, that she heard the blessed sound of police sirens quickly approaching._

Eddie took several deep breaths. Leonard was off to one side giving his statement to the first responding officer. He caught her looking and they traded small, tight smiles. If it wasn't because Jamie was missing, she'd do more more to thank Leonard for helping her than just saying the words. But right now she needed to focus and keep it together. The whole night was running through her mind for the millionth time when a large, gentle hand enveloped her shoulder and she turned to meet the concerned blue eyes of her father-in-law.

Frank sat on the bumper next to his daughter-in-law and pulled her in for a hug, kissing the side of her head as he held her tightly. "Are you alright, sweetheart?" he asked softly.

Eddie would have preferred to maintain her composure in front of Frank Reagan, she was fine after all, and it was Jamie that was missing. She needed to be strong for him, but lost all resolve to put up a strong front upon hearing those four gentle words from the city's toughest cop. Tears spilled from the corners of her eyes which she closed again as she swallowed the lump firmly lodged in her throat, finding comfort in his strong embrace. "I'm fine," she lied, needing to focus on getting Jamie back. She wiped away the tears as she noticed her brother-in-law and his partner hovering nearby.

Danny crouched down before her, searching for any obvious injuries and was relieved to see none other than the light bruise on her cheek, although he could see she'd been through something terrible. But they still needed to find his little brother, so he got down to business. "Eddie, where's Jamie?" he asked in an equally gentle tone.

Eddie turned to face Danny, her chin trembling as she answered his question. "He took him. Noble took him."

"Where, Eddie?" Maria Baez prodded.

Eddie shook her head sadly. "I don't know." She inhaled sharply before going over everything beginning with the accusations Noble had thrown in Jamie's face, trying to recall anything that would help them find her husband. "And he kept saying he was going to take him on 'a trip down memory lane.' He kept repeating that, but I have no idea what it all meant."

Danny was certain they were on the right track and stood to face his partner. "Get on the phone to Melendez and get those addresses I asked for, please," he requested.

"Will do," Maria responded, turning to make the call.

Eddie looked from Danny to Frank, confused by why that meant anything to them. "What does that mean? Where are they?"

"I'm not sure yet, but we're narrowing it down," Danny tried assuring her. "What else can you tell us?"

Eddie pushed a few messy locks of hair from her face as she turned to her father-in-law. "We have to find them, Frank. Noble...he forced Jamie to take drugs," she said hurriedly.

"He what?" Frank gasped in disbelief.

"He wanted him to take these drugs, he kept talking about something that happened here once between them. He used me against him, threatened to shoot me up with something if Jamie didn't take them...and he did it to save me," she said, her voice heavy with guilt.

Frank squeezed her her gently, straining to stay calm. "What," he croaked, stopping to clear his voice, "what did Sanfino give him?"

Danny's eyes widened as something came to mind. "Jesus...meth, heroine and LSD," he said. "All of them?"

"Yeah...yes," Eddie said with a look of confusion on her face. "How did you -"

"That's what he forced down the dealer's throat years ago. It's also what he bought off of him just days ago!" Danny said, his face flushed with anger. "Sanfino's making this a game, recreating the experiences he and Jamie went through on that assignment. He's gotta be taking him somewhere they've both been before."

Eddie worried about what other terrible things Noble had planned. What he had done tonight was agonizing enough, but she realized she hadn't told them all of it. "That's not the last of it."

The two men exchanged deep frowns, dreading what else they were about to hear.

"Jamie...he thinks I'm dead."

"What do you mean he _thinks_ you're dead?" Danny asked.

Eddie's face became pinched as she began to lose the last of her composure. "Just that. After the drugs started to take, Noble started to put things in his head and he began to hallucinate every damn lie he told him." She couldn't stand to see the agony on his face as he begged her to stay with him.

"What did he say?" Frank asked.

"Not just what he said, but also what he did...he fired his gun. He fired it over my shoulder, but to Jamie, he thinks he saw him shoot me. He kept telling him I was bleeding out and dying and he was seeing that. I tried to tell him I was okay but I couldn't get through to him. He kept trying to get free and begged Noble to help me. He dragged him out of here thinking he'd left me for dead. And he had more drugs. If he forces anymore on him he might kill him!" Eddie cried.

"Son of a bi-" Frank hissed, before his mouth snapped shut. "That's not happening."

"I'm gonna kill the bastard," Danny vowed. "We need to find them now!"

As if on cue, Baez returned as she disconnected her call Detective Melendez and came to a stop next to Danny. She met her partner's blazing eyes, but didn't question him, proceeding instead to report on what Melendez had found. "Jorge made a quick list of the spots he and Jamie hit together - this place, Sanfino's restaurant and his uncle's club and the office building where Noble got Jamie the job with a Johnny Tesla, all in Brooklyn. There's a couple of other well known restaurants and clubs on the list as well, but it's safe to say with their continued popularity that they wouldn't be heading there, not if he's looking to stay on the DL. Both the Sanfino restaurant and club are operative businesses today. That leaves the building in an industrial area of East Williamsburg; it's unoccupied according to city records."

"That's the place where Johnny Tesla operated his boiler room," Danny pointed out.

"It's where Jamie got the biggest get of the operation," Frank added.

"And where he got the snot beaten out of him," Danny said worriedly.

"He what?" Eddie looked back in horror.

"We'll send a couple of cars to the restaurant and club, just in case, and Baez and I will head over to the old boiler room location to check it out. We'll get a couple cars from the 8-3 to meet us. I'm betting they're there," Danny said, earning a nod from Frank whose gut said the same thing. "We'll bring him back," he told Eddie, squeezing her hand just before dashing off to his car.

"Wait!" Eddie stood, the blanket slipping from her shoulders as she went to follow. "If that's where Jamie is, I need to go too!" she said.

Frank caught the blanket before it hit the ground and took hold of his daughter-in-law's hand. "No, Eddie, sweetheart, we need to get you checked out," he suggested and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders once again.

"I'm fine, Frank," she insisted with wide, tearful eyes.

"That's what I'm hoping for too, but let's confirm that first," he requested as he nodded to an awaiting medic.

"Frank, we need to find Jamie! He needs to see that I'm okay!" Eddie argued stubbornly.

"We will," Frank promised, not willing to think otherwise. "But Jamie will have my head if I didn't make sure you were alright first," he added with a gentle smile he'd practiced many a time for moments like this where his first priority was keeping those around him calm and safe despite the turmoil around him. Although he wasn't lying; Jamie really would have his head if he didn't look after his wife, especially after what he'd had to endure to spare her from Noble Sanfino's twisted game of revenge. He also couldn't let Eddie or himself go anywhere near that office building right now, afraid of what they might find.

* * *

 _Nothing romantic about this chapter to stay in theme with Valentine's Day, but Eddie is safe and in the protective arms of her father-in-law. We'll check-in with Noble and Jamie next to see if he can make good on his plans._

 _XOXO_


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Noble kicked open the interior door to the large abandoned office that had once housed his childhood friend's thriving business. The place looked nothing like Johnny's operation; cheap modular workstations filled the middle of the room with an odd number of old rolling chairs and mismatched desks scattered around the perimeter, left behind by whatever failed business last occupied it. The building was dark except for the bright street lights streaming in through the large windows along the mostly vacant north wall.

Noble adjusted his grip on Jamie's waistband while tugging on the other man's arm as he dragged him along to their second stop of the night. "Poor Leah...you really made a mess of her car, Jimmy. And of yourself too," he commented with a look of disgust. "I'm surprised you had anything left in you."

Jamie had ridden over in the trunk again, in complete darkness while Noble had taken extra steps to make sure his erratic driving didn't draw any unwanted attention but was still bad enough to cause his passenger some added misery. And it did just that, Noble couldn't help but smile at every curse and groan that reached his ears when he would intentionally drive through the potholes New York was famous for at full speed.

Try as he might, Jamie couldn't focus right now; his mind was stuck on his Eddie, not wanting to believe she was gone like Noble claimed, while flashes of white hot pain ran through him. And while earlier his body had been on fire, now he was unable to control the shivers racking his frame. Jamie was in his own kind of hell, both physically and emotionally. "Where...Eddie?" he slurred.

Noble sighed tiredly. "How many times do I gotta go over this, man?! She's gone! You saw her! Know what? Just don't worry about her for now, we got a lot of other things to talk about."

Jamie couldn't accept that, despite the violent image ingrained in his mind. He tried shaking his head to rid himself of that grim notion and to argue Noble's claim, but only ended up slamming his eyes shut when it caused the room to wobble more than it already had been with each unsteady step he was forced to take.

Noble snorted at Jamie's feeble response. "Yup, she's gone," he replied, wanting to make sure he was still stuck in the same hallucination he'd worked so hard to develop. Noble stopped near the windows and assessed the large room, remembering a time when his mere presence commanded respect by everyone who'd worked here...those otherwise afraid to cross the younger Sanfino.

Tired of carrying all of his buddy's weight, he decided this was a good spot before dropping Jamie into the nearest chair. "You remember this place, right? Seems like you have a pretty good memory," Noble said as he took a few steps away to scan the room. He had no concerns about turning his back on his captive, no longer seeing him as any kind of threat because of the state he put him in.

Jamie looked around in confusion from where he sat slumped in the chair, still trying to make sense of everything. It was taking all of his efforts to focus on Noble's words over Eddie's cries echoing in his mind. Jamie pressed a hand to his chest as he willed his racing heart to settle down.

Noble approached the window and stared out across the vacant parking lot thoughtfully. "Everything with Johnny makes a lot more sense now," he commented softly. "You really were the one to get the client list out of here weren't you?"

The mention of that name transported Jamie back to this very room, to a time when he was under Tesla's constant scrutiny and he became lost in those memories.

Noble spun around angrily when he doesn't get a response. "Hey! I'm talking to you!"

Jamie slowly turned his head to meet Noble's glare, tired of the games and distraught over Eddie, he muttered what first came to mind. "What do...you want?" he asked with a hopeless and tired tone.

Noble stomped toward Jamie, pulling him up by the shirt and attempted to shake the truth right out of him. "Answer me! Did you take the client list out of here?!"

Jamie stared back into Noble's fierce green eyes and some of the fog cleared momentarily, seeing the man whose life he'd saved twice only to have him come back years later to torment him and his wife...his wife who'd he'd shot right in front of him, the cause of all of this pain. Jamie clenched his jaw and gathered all of the strength he could muster to shove Noble away from him. "Yes! I took the God damn list!" he spat back, grasping the chair to keep from falling.

Unprepared for the outburst, Noble stumbled back, landing on his backside with an painful grunt. He glowered at Jamie, angrier now that he actually admitted to what he'd done and got up quickly to confront him. "You killed him! He knew you took it and told Uncle Phil just as much, but they didn't believe him! You're the reason they killed him!"

Feeling he had nothing else to lose at this point, Jamie refused to stand down, adrenalin and rage now fueling him. "They killed him! Because you're all a bunch of psychopaths!"

Noble pulled back his arm, delivering a quick, satisfying punch to the left side of Jamie's face that sent him to the ground and took a few quick steps to hover over him menacingly. "You deserved the beating he gave you! He should have killed you when he had the chance!" he snarled, stopping as a dark laugh burst from his lips. "I actually felt sorry for you, man! You disappeared after Bianca told me what he did to you. I tried looking for you! Meanwhile, you were nothing but a rat...no, a snake in the grass, slithering back under some rock after you got what you wanted. I felt guilty...I even tried smoothing things over with Johnny like some idiot."

Jamie sat up, wiping away the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "You are...an idiot," he muttered softly, not caring about the painful consequences.

Noble's eyes widened at his words, turning away to try and stifle the urge to beat the crap out of the other man...but he was never very good at controlling his impusles. Noble spun around and landed a swift kick to Jamie's stomach that he never saw coming.

"You ruined everything for everyone! You killed Johnny and you got me shot! You are the reason my family wants me dead so that I'm stuck in some hick town for the rest of my life!" he seethed as Jamie clutched his abdomen, sputtering for breath.

Whether it was the drugs or the grief or Jamie's unwillingness to let Noble carry on with his twisted view of reality, he lost all sense of self-preservation and laid back into Noble. "You all did this...to yourselves! You are...not the victim! You never were! And you looked...for me...remember!?"

Noble picked Jamie up by the shirt again and threw him across the nearest desk while releasing an enraged growl.

Bruised and bloodied, Jamie refused to stand down and rolled over onto all fours. He didn't care what Noble did to him anymore, not if Eddie was gone, but he wasn't going down without a fight either. And that was what was prompting this unexpected surge of energy. He'd make Noble pay for what he did or die trying. Jamie got to his feet using the desk for support as he said, "You're going to get yourself killed just like they wanted. They're going to kill you when they find you, you can be sure of that. You should have never come out here but your stupid ego always gets in the way. You deserve whatever you get."

"I've been careful. You didn't even know I was here," Noble countered, feeling the need to prove him wrong as his hands opened and closed continuously at his sides.

"It's not in your nature to be careful. You're selfish and impulsive...always were," Jamie spat back.

Noble lost any remaining control and charged at Jamie who was too slow to avoid the attack, choosing instead to bring Noble to the ground with him. The violent impact robbed Jamie of his breath while shaking the gun loose from the waistband of Noble's pants and it bounced on the thin carpeting only to stop several feet away from the melee.

Noble threw two quick jabs that Jamie barely felt. Instead he drew his legs up to kick the taller man off of him. Noble stumbled back allowing Jamie a chance to jump to his feet. They danced around each other before Jamie went in, landing a right hook, then quickly parrying Noble's next few punches with the practiced ease of the trained boxer he was. Surprised by his sudden agility, Noble lunged for Jamie, but he was unprepared for the check hook that came his way. Stunned, Noble groaned as he suddenly found himself staring at tiled ceiling, the left side of his face throbbing rhythmically.

Jamie remained in fighting stance, waiting for Noble to rise to his feet just so he could knock him back on his ass. He hadn't missed the gun laying on the ground and shuffled over to get closer to it.

Meanwhile, Noble was slowly getting to his knees, one hand pressed firmly against his aching jaw. "Looks like you got some moves there, Jimmy," he laughed. "So do I, buddy." Noble charged him low, taking them back to the ground. He straddled Jamie quickly and instead of throwing another punch, he wrapped his hands around Jamie's neck, trying to choke the life out of him once and for all. "I'm gonna kill you...I should've done this weeks ago," he hissed down at the man that had ruined his life.

Jamie's hands unsuccessfully pulled and scratched at Noble, wheezing as he struggled to suck air into his lungs. Desperate, his right hand fell to the floor, searching for anything that might help him. Noble began speaking just as Jamie's fingertips brushed against the cold, hard steel of his gun.

He couldn't help himself, Noble wanted the last thought in Jamie's mind before he finally died to be of the one thing that caused him the most pain. "It was fun playing with you and Eddie. And I could have had a lot more fun with her if I hadn't shot her dead tonight."

Jamie continued to stretch his arm out to the right until his hand closed around the familiar form of a gun. The mention of his wife's name set him off and his hand arched across the air to solidly connect with Noble's skull with a hollow thud. Dazed but conscious, Noble fell way and the two men traded positions, Jamie reaching down to pin Noble to the floor by the neck as he pressed the barrel of the gun to the side of his head. Noble's only reaction was to clutch at Jamie's arm, attempting to loosen the pressure on his neck.

Jamie was seeing red, Noble's face a reminder of everything that happened back at the bar, of what he did to Eddie. "I'm gonna kill you!" he vowed.

Noble looked up into Jamie's dilated eyes, almost completely black and empty, and for the first time since that day years ago when he'd been shot and left for dead by his own family, a part of Noble Sanfino was actually frightened. But he'd studied his prey well enough to know he wouldn't kill him. "No you won't. You don't have the guts," he wheezed.

Jamie strengthened his grip around Noble's neck while pressing the gun harder against his temple. "I'm going to kill you!" he repeated. It was the only thought on his mind.

"Do it!" Noble dared him.

Jamie struggled between vengeance for his wife and the decent part of him that could never willingly take a life, no matter how worthless it was. But vengeance was winning out as his finger curled around the trigger.

"Jamie! Drop the gun!"

Jamie didn't respond, barely hearing the familiar voice of his older brother.

Danny approached the two men cautiously, his gun drawn but held down low as he motioned the other officers to clear the rest of the building. Maria came around the other side, letting him take the lead as she kept an eye on Sanfino.

"It's okay, kid," he soothed. "We're here. Just drop the gun and we'll handle him from here."

Jamie didn't budge, still intent on wiping the smug look he kept seeing off of Noble's face. "No!"

"Jamie -"

"He killed her!" Jamie barked. If Danny knew what he did, he'd let him finish Noble off and help him hide the body.

"No, Jamie -"

"I saw it!"

"He's out of his mind!" Noble groaned.

"Shut up!" Danny ordered as he took a few steps closer, trying to draw his brother's attention. "What you saw wasn't real, kid. I was just with Eddie, Jamie. She's fine. Dad's taking care of her. She's just worried sick about you," he explained.

Jamie's eyes teared up at the memory from the bar. "I saw it," he whispered.

Danny glanced at the gun in Jamie's hand and holstered his weapon as he crouched down next to his brother and held his own hand out cautiously. "What you saw wasn't real. It was nothing but the lies and drugs this animal shoved down your throat. _I_ wouldn't lie to you, kid."

Jamie shook his head, but began to waiver. Danny wouldn't lie to him, yet he couldn't deny what he saw.

"Give me the gun, Jamie," Danny pleaded softly. "I'll take you over to see Eddie as soon as we lock him up."

Jamie's face began to crumble.

"Told you you couldn't do it," Noble snarked.

"Shut your mouth before I shoot you myself!" Danny sniped just as his hand closed over the trembling gun.

"Make one move, Sanfino, and I'll shoot you first," Maria warned.

"Please, Jamie. You don't want to do this. This is not you. You're not like him and his family."

Jamie hesitated for a moment before he let his brother take the gun, breathing heavily as the adrenalin began to wear off.

"Told you you couldn't do it, Jimmy," Noble taunted just before Jamie threw a vicious right hook. The sound of bone crunching against bone echoed through the room, the momentum of which carried Jamie to the floor.

Danny moved quickly to catch his brother while Maria stepped in and flipped an unconscious and bloody Noble Sanfino onto his stomach to cuff him.

"Kid, you alright?" Danny frowned at Jamie. He laid motionless in his arms aside from the tremors that rolled through his body. Danny knew he wasn't, not with what Eddie had reported to them already, but to actually see him now, on the verge of killing Sanfino while stuck in some crazy delusion, it scared the hell out of him.

"Eddie's okay?" Jamie asked weakly, not sure of what to believe.

"She's fine, Jamie, I swear." Danny gave him a minute to let that sink in, but Jamie didn't respond. "You think you can get up?"

"Don't feel...so good, Dan," Jamie admitted as the nausea settled in his belly once again and his limbs grew heavy and uncooperative.

Danny was becoming more concerned about the crap Noble force-fed him and looked over to his partner. "Call a bus."

Always on top of things, Maria nodded, already on the phone doing just that - one for Jamie and another for their scumbag.

Danny dropped his chin onto his brother's head and wrapped his arms a little tighter around him. "Everything's going to be fine, I promise."

Jamie let himself sink back against his brother. "She's okay?" he asked again.

"I told you she was. She's jumping out of her skin to see you," Danny assured him.

"He shot her...saw it, Danny," Jamie said in confusion.

"It wasn't real, I'll prove it to you," he said as he pulled his phone from his suit pocket and hit a button, waiting for an answer on the other end. "Dad...yeah, I got him right here...Right now I need you to put Eddie on the line...just trust me, dad."

* * *

 _Jamies's now the one on the protective arms of his older brother, but he's not completely out of the woods yet. Next, he'll be reunited with Eddie and Frank has a face to face with a Noble._


	24. Chapter 24

_Another late post...taking advantage that the boss finally left!_

Chapter 24

"Sergeant Reagan, please relax. We need to finish our examination," Dr. Ray Miller pleaded. He and his staff were doing what they could to handle their patient with extra care considering he was a member of the NYPD had been forced to ingest a myriad of narcotics. They had been attempting to draw his blood for a full tox screen, but their patient had grown more uncooperative since he'd arrived in the emergency department. They even made special considerations to allow his brother to remain by his side after he'd panicked at the sight of the strangers circling him on the gurney. But that was doing little to stabilize his patient's vitals as the physician glanced worriedly at the monitors next to the bed. He wasn't concerned yet with the injuries to Sergeant Reagan's face and the bruising to his torso after they managed to get him undressed; more important was stabilizing him and dealing with the effects of the drugs.

"I wanna go home!" Jamie demanded as he yanked his arm away from the nurse with the giant needle. "Danny!"

Danny's stomach clenched at the panic in his little brother's voice. He glanced down from Jamie's crazed and dilated eyes to his watch and wondered how long it had been since he'd called his father. Jamie had broken down when he finally heard Eddie on the phone back at that vacant office, but he finally seemed to believe that she truly was alive and well and Danny hoped that was enough to bring him back down to earth.

However, once the medics arrived and began to poke and prod at Jamie and then prep him for transport, the confusion and fear returned, his mind worried that he was off to some other location on what Noble touted as the trip down memory lane. He was getting worse with all of the ER doctors and nurses circling him now. The only person that could calm him down now was Eddie. "I know, kid, but first you gotta let the doc here check you out. Just relax," he said as placed his hand on Jamie's shoulder and gently pushed back down onto the bed.

"Where's Eddie?! You promised she was coming! You said she was okay!" Jamie said while pulling the nasal canula from his face and simultaneously shirking away from another nurse who was attempting to refasten the blood pressure cuff around his arm. "No!"

"Hey! Hey, Jamie! Calm down!" he ordered while snagging Jamie's wrist before he had a chance to strike Dr. Miller. "Leave that on your face, huh? She's coming, alright? Dad's almost here. I'm sure he's got the lights and sirens going and everything just to get her here," Danny tried pacifying his brother as his own heart raced.

"Let's get 4 mg of IV lorazepam on board," Dr. Miller ordered.

"Yes, doctor."

Danny frowned at the physician, wishing Linda was here to explain all of the medical mumbo-jumbo spewing out of everyone's mouths. He understood parts of it here and there, but what concerned him most were the looks they'd give each other. And now they were going to drug him up some more? How did that make any sense?. "Wait, what? You're going to sedate him? Doesn't he have enough garbage in him already?"

"It's not enough to sedate him. He's tachycardic and hyperthermic. The lorazepam will help calm him down and help with those other issues as well so that we can hopefully avoid more aggressive treatment. It's that or we restrain him so we can finish examining him," he informed the detective before turning to one of the nurses. "Let's get him to CT and x-ray when he's calm. Let's also get a Foley in and start watching his output."

Jamie settled down with the medication, allowing for the his blood to be drawn and a more accurate reading on his vitals to be taken. But his eyes searched the room suspiciously for more danger. Danny hated to see his brother distressed over the tricks his mind was still playing on him and for the millionth time that night he considered hunting down Noble Sanfino and killing the bastard with his bare hands. He was just imagining Noble's untimely demise when two familiar figures filled the doorway of the large trauma room.

Frank and Eddie were escorted to the treatment area as soon as they arrived, but both hung back now, stunned at the site of the medical personnel buzzing around the room.

Danny glanced down at his brother who lay quietly and half-dazed on the bed and squeezed his shoulder affectionately before stepping away to meet them. "Hey. So glad you two are finally here," he sighed tiredly.

Eddie's eyes remained frozen on the activity behind her brother-in-law where Jamie lay hidden by the doctors and nurses surrounding him. Her mouth opened to ask the obvious question, but she couldn't get any words out, her eyes misting over instead.

Frank could sense Eddie's anguish and brought an arm around her shoulders. "How is he?" he asked as he stared into the trauma room.

Danny saw the same questions and fears mirrored in their faces. "They're still checking him over, but he's still pretty out of it. Seeing everyone around him had him freaking out that he was still on Noble's wild ride. They gave him something to settle him down but the doc's worried about his temperature and heart rate," Danny began to explain...and those two were just the tip of the iceberg.

"His heart?" Eddie squeaked with large eyes. She wasn't sure what to expect when they arrived. Jamie had barely uttered a word when Danny called them and she'd been frantic over all of the complications she assumed that he could be facing, but hearing that out loud now only sacred her more.

"Yeah," Danny confirmed, wishing he had more positive news to report. "Come on, he's been asking for you. The doc knows you were on the way. They gave him something to help him relax, but he's awake," he said as he led them into the room. Dr. Miller frowned at the new visitors before recognizing the Police Commissioner. "Doc, this is Sergeant Reagan's wife, Edit Reagan."

"Detective Reagan explained what happened, Officer Reagan, he'll be glad to see you. Stay up near the head of the bed and keep him calm and distracted and we'll work on everything else."

Eddie approached the bed slowly, watching as a few of nurses ran wet towels across Jamie's torso and legs and another set up a cooling fan aimed directly at the gurney. She placed her hand gently on top of Jamie's feverish brow as the last of the dried blood was cleaned from his lips and chin, grimacing as she noted the mottled bruising on his face and body. "Jamie?" she whispered when her eyes traveled back up to meet his own.

Jamie turned his head toward the sound of her voice, his eyes sluggish and unfocused, but they widened slightly when he recognized his wife. "Ed..?"

"Hi, baby," Eddie smiled sadly, her eyes filling with tears as she bent over the edge of the gurney.

Jamie's brows crinkled in confusion. "You're here...okay?" he asked as his hand came up to loosely cup her cheek. Tears of relief spilled from the corners of his eyes and his heart fluttered when he felt her soft, warm skin under his fingertips.

"I'm fine, honey," Eddie cried. She took his hand in hers and placed a gentle kiss across the back. But her jaw clenched tightly when she took in the raw skin of his knuckles and could only imagine what else Noble had put him through to leave him like this.

Jamie's face became pinched at what he perceived as anger at him, for everything Noble had done to them...to her. "I'm so sorry," he gasped in between quiet sobs.

Eddie dropped her forehead onto his. "It's okay. It's over now, Jamie," she assured him as he repeated breathy apologies from the guilt she was certain he'd been carrying ever since that day Noble had introduced himself to her in front of their building. "Hey, you got nothing to apologize for, Reagan," she stated more sternly, needing to squash any notions that any of this was his fault. "Shh, I'm fine. We just need to worry about getting you better right now." Eddie continued to whisper soothing words of comfort and maintained constant physical contact until he was quiet once again, both oblivious to the continued activity around them.

"Don't leave," Jamie pleaded as his eyes grew heavy again.

"I'm not going anywhere, Jamie," she promised, not intending to let him out of her sight anytime soon, at least not until her own fears eased.

Frank and Danny stayed off to one side, out of the way of the medical personnel and to allow Jamie and Eddie a little privacy - if that was even possible in a room full of strangers. They looked on quietly, glad that at least Eddie was bringing Jamie some peace.

"How is he really?" Frank asked, knowing there was more that Danny had left unsaid to spare Eddie more worry.

"I don't know, dad," Danny grumbled. "The docs kept saying things about his liver and kidneys and heart - like every major organ has the possibility of being damaged by the damn cocktail Sanfino fed him. And that's on top of the fever he's running which has them afraid of seizures. That's why they got him stripped down." Danny turned in circles like a caged lion. "You might not want to let me wander down the hall or I may go over and kill the bastard."

"Sanfino's here?" Frank questioned, his brows arching high. He'd been so concerned about Jamie that he hadn't thought that Sanfino could be anywhere other than on his way to booking.

Danny grimaced at the way he announced that little tidbit of information. "Yeah, Jamie beat him up pretty good," he explained proudly. "We had to bring him in, but I got four uniforms on him. I'm not taking any chances. He has to pay for what he did and with more than a stupid all-expenses-paid trip back to Colorado."

"Oh, he'll pay," Frank said darkly. "One way or another, he's not getting away with what he's done," he promised, thinking of the conversation he would need to have with Erin once he knew Jamie would be alright. But he planned to drop in and visit with someone else first.

* * *

Frank walked past the uniforms standing guard outside of the small, isolated treatment room. "As you were," he instructed the saluting officers before walking through the door. "Mr. Sanfino," he greeted as he casually closed the door behind him.

Noble sat up straight from where he had been reclining against the raised head of the gurney, holding an ice pack to his bruised and swollen nose as the handcuff on his left wrist clacked against the metal railing. "What do _you_ want?" he asked in voice that, while nasally, was heavy with animosity and unease. He knew who this was, had seen his photo many times after he'd pulled the articles on the real Jimmy Riordan.

"To actually lay eyes on you. I've heard a lot about you," Frank answered with a dangerous smirk as he clasped his hands behind his back.

"I'm sure you have. Did Jimmy run home and tell you all about our adventures every time he went out to play me and my family? Is that what you do as Police Commissioner, huh? Get your cops to go out and dupe innocent people?"

"I'm sorry, I think you might have yourself confused with someone else. You were never innocent and that's never been clearer to me than now," Frank said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, geez. Is that where he got that line? You're all the same, every last one of you," Noble accused.

"Yes, well," Frank began as he approached the shackled man who in turn eyed the closed door nervously. "I don't need to argue my son's or my department's integrity with you of all people. I just wanted to let you know that during our investigation into locating you, we did look into whether your family and their associates had any knowledge of your return to the city."

"They have no clue. You all had no clue I was here until I showed my face. And even then, you never had a clue how close I was to your precious little boy and his new bride," Noble spat back smugly.

"They may have _had_ no clue...not until you contacted Ricardo Garcia at least." Frank waited, proceeding when Sanfino paled. "I believe you know him as Richie? Anyway, Richie, was quite shocked to see you around these parts again and considering that you did in fact land him in the hospital when you forced drugs on him, just like you did to my son, well, he didn't hesitate to let some people of questionable morals know of your existence."

Noble's jaw clenched angrily before shooting off his mouth again. "I know he tried tailing me and I lost him. He could tell the world he saw me, but it wasn't going to get anyone closer to finding me."

Frank smiled as he prepared to reply. "Be that as it may, you are in fact now under arrest for a multitude of crimes - kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, assault, rape-"

"What the hell is your point?!" Noble yelled, drawing the attention of the officers outside.

"It's alright," Frank waived off the officers before turning back to answer the question posed to him. "My point, Mr. Sanfino, is that you can very well end up in one of the state's many prisons."

"So?"

"Did you know that there is at least one member of the Sanfino and Cavazerre organizations residing at each and every one of those prisons? They got sentenced for an array of crimes...felonies of course, from larceny all the way through murder one. I checked twice...every single New York facility," Frank repeated, as if discussing your everyday, mundane topic. He didn't let the younger man's look of stunned realization deter him. "And I imagine that wherever you end up, anyone of them would be very interested in seeing you again," he finished with a smile that was meant to leave Sanfino feeling uneasy. "Just a little food for thought."

"That-that's, uh, a death sentence. You can't do that!"

"I wouldn't be doing anything. You committed your crimes here in New York. Sure, you could end up anywhere, but it's almost a certainty that you'll end up in one of our prisons. You brought this on yourself for going after my son and daughter-in-law. Now, I understand that you've been discharged with nothing more than that broken nose and some minor bruises. I'll be sure to send my officers in to transport you to central booking so that you don't have to wait here any longer. Have a good night, Mr. Sanfino," Frank said and promptly turned on his heel, surprised to see Danny when he walked back out into the hallway.

Frank gave the order to have his officers escort their prisoner to jail before walking down the corridor with Danny in tow. "What are you doing out here?"

Danny wiped the smile off his face as he processed everything his father had said back there. "I saw you heading back here, wanted to make sure you didn't kill the scum for me."

"I would never touch the man."

"No, but you certainly did get him to crap his pants," Danny quipped. it felt good to have something to smile about right now.

Frank looked over his shoulder and traded smirks with his oldest son. "Let's go check on your brother."

* * *

 _Our couple is reunited again and Frank got a chance to strike a little fear into Noble's teeny-tiny heart. A few more chapters to go before this story is done with one more face to face with Noble to bring some closure._


	25. Chapter 25

_Apologies for the delay, work and family commitments have been overwhelming. One more chapter to go! A million thanks to everyone who has reviewed!_

Chapter 25

After a battery of tests in the emergency room, Jamie was admitted to the ICU where for two days his body alternated between burning with fever to shaking from an unsettling chill that ran down his spine. And more than once, he threw the doctors for a loop with irregular heartbeats which would set off alarms that would have staff rushing into his room. Eddie was pushed to the side while the doctors and nurses worked to stabilize him, but she refused to leave the room, taking full advantage of the very large hook that permitted her around-the-clock access to her husband.

Despite the fact that he had finally been listed as stable and transferred to a regular room, his body was heavy and weak, still feeling the last of the effects of the drugs that coursed through his veins. Visits with family had been limited as the doctors preferred to keep his environment calm and serene. That meant that no one had discussed with him any of the events of the kidnapping and his experiences after Noble had poisoned him, but he knew that short respite would soon come to an end and he would be bombarded from all sides - his family, his brother as the detective wrapping up the case, and undoubtedly by both the hospital and department shrinks.

Jamie stared at Eddie through gap in the bedrail as she slept soundly in the recliner next to him. His eyes burned, desperate to close and rest after the events of the previous few days. But every time they did, they'd snap open because sleep only brought back the vivid hallucinations centered around Noble shooting Eddie point-blank in the chest. Even with her right next to him and her warm, soft hand grasped firmly in his along the edge of the bed, Jamie couldn't get his mind let go of that horrible nightmare. That was how he had spent that last few nights, battling against sleep until he lost only to awaken from the same nightmare, sweaty and gasping for breath until Eddie proved it all to be untrue with her gentle touch and soothing words.

Eddie's eyes fluttered open. Her body begged for more rest, but she could feel a certain pair of blue eyes focused on her even in sleep. "Hey," she whispered when she met Jamie's bloodshot eyes. She could see the exhaustion on his face and his continued attempts to deny himself sleep. "You need to rest, Jamie," she admonished gently.

"Tried...can't," he rasped.

"Why not? You're exhausted," Eddie asked, but she knew the answer to that question already. She just hoped he would come clean with her about all of it. It didn't have to be right at this moment considering his current state, but she hoped opening up to her would help heal all of the wounds Sanfino had left behind...God knew she had a few of her own to deal with.

Jamie's eyes shifted down to their clasped hands. "Every time I close my eyes I see...," he began, too tired to deny her claim, but he trailed off just at the mention of the nightmares waiting to revisit his already weary mind.

Eddie nodded in understanding before sitting up. She balled up the thin blanket his nurse had brought her and toed off her shoes.

"What are you doing?" Jamie asked curiously.

"It's no picnic sleeping in that chair, I don't care if they call it a recliner. Scooch, Reagan," Eddie instructed him. She'd been tempted to do this a few times up in the ICU.

Jamie pursed his lips to hide the first urge he'd had to smile in several days and grateful that his wife could always anticipate his needs. He would never have been able to voice his desire to crawl into her arms, to feel her holding him tight, even when it was exactly what he needed.

Eddie got herself situated on one side of the bed, making sure to keep the IV and heart monitor lines he was connected to clear. "Much better," she sighed.

Jamie settled his head onto of her shoulder and immediately began to relax against her warmth. "I know what you're doing, Janko," he whispered as his left arm went around her waist.

Eddie laid a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Trying to get some sleep?" she replied, running her fingers across his scalp while minding the bruise on the side of his head. If there was one sure fire way to relax him, this was it. After several minutes minutes of silence, Eddie thought she had managed to get him to sleep, but he proved her wrong.

"Every time I close my eyes I see him shooting you over and over again," he confessed.

Eddie's heart clenched. She, in turn, could still hear the heart-wrenching wails that erupted from his mouth after Noble fired the gun over her shoulder. "Wasn't real, babe," she reminded him.

"It felt real...was real in my head. I've never been more scared in my life, Eddie," he admitted. "I didn't know what I was going to do without you."

This was the most he'd spoken at once since he was brought into the emergency room. Eddie was saddened by the pain in his voice. She was also battling her own demons and revealed some of her own fears, not to burden him but to encourage him to open up to her. "Me too. I didn't know if I'd ever see you again. I couldn't understand most of the things you two were arguing about, none of it made sense to me and when they found me at that restaurant, I was afraid there was nothing I could tell your dad and Danny that would help find you."

"I should of let his family deal with him all those years ago," Jamie whispered.

"Hey," she said, tapping his chin to get his attention, "we went through this already. You wouldn't be you if you hadn't helped him. It was the right thing to do and it's one of the things I love about you most, babe."

Jamie could hear the sincerity in her voice and her pleas to let go of the guilt, but he couldn't help feeling responsible, especially where she was concerned. "Yeah and look where it got us."

"Never change who you are, Jamie," she stated firmly.

Jamie sighed against her chest, stuck on how badly he wanted to pull the trigger when he had Noble pinned to the ground. "I almost did."

"What do you mean?" Eddie asked in confusion.

"I came so close to killing him back there. All I kept seeing was you bleeding and Noble laughing in my face. If it wasn't for Danny -"

"That wasn't your fault," she interrupted. "And from what Danny said, even with all of that poison in your system, you still didn't let yourself go through with it."

Part of him knew she was right, still he wouldn't forget the utter rage he felt for Noble and that was something else that scared him to death.

"Sleep, Reagan," she prodded gently, "otherwise the docs won't let you out of here. And I just want to sleep in our own bed again."

"I love you," he said, lulled by the sound of her beating heart.

"I love you too," she whispered back.

* * *

Jamie sat in the hospital chair enjoying a few moments of solitude, the first since he'd been admitted to the hospital. He knew this time was limited as one family member always magically appeared after another had just left. He'd taken a long, hot shower after being freed from the I.V., another sign that he was just that much closer to getting out of there. Jamie rested his head against the back of the recliner as the mid-day news program droned on in the background.

A soft knock signaled his next visitor... _like clockwork_ , he mused to himself. "Hey, dad," he smiled as his father stepped through the door.

Frank grinned in return. He was happy to see Jamie out of bed and his keen eye immediately noticed the complete lack of medical equipment connected to him with only a bandage visible and covering the area where the IV catheter once was. "You're looking good, son," Frank commented. Although his boy remained a bit gaunt and fatigued after his ordeal, he was much improved compared to his condition just days ago. He took a seat in the empty guest chair across from Jamie, still finding it difficult to accept what had been done to him and Eddie. "So, a little birdie told me you're getting booted out of this place tomorrow."

Jamie smirked and had no doubt his wife had played a part in delivering that news which they had just received during his doctor's early morning rounds...probably when she was coordinating his visitor schedule for the day. "That birdie about 5'4" with the metabolism of a D-1 football-playing frat boy?" he joked.

Frank chuckled. "I guess so...where is Eddie?" he asked. He knew she'd be gone most of the afternoon, but hadn't inquired as to where when they spoke since he already had plans to come by the hospital.

"Erin and Nicky took her to lunch. Then they were going to help her get the apartment restocked for when we get home tomorrow."

Frank nodded as he recalled a conversation he'd had with Jamie at the beginning of the week. "You two okay going back to the apartment? You know you can come stay with me and Pop."

"I know, dad. But now that Noble's behind bars, I think we both just need a little privacy," he replied.

"I get that," Frank sighed. He could see that they both needed their lives to return to some semblance of normal, even with everything Sanfino had done to them in their own home. "You two still thinking of moving?"

"Yeah, I think we are, but we'll see. It depends on what we find. Eddie already talked to her mom, she has connections and was going to help line up some places to look at once I get out of here," Jamie advised.

"Well, I don't think you'll have any shortage of volunteers to help you move when that time comes. And I think they'll all work cheap...for food and beer," Frank predicted with a smirk.

Jamie smiled at the comment, but said nothing in return.

Despite his improvement during his admission, Frank wasn't oblivious to the fact that his youngest had a lot more healing to do. And he could tell that there was something he wanted to ask. "What's on your mind, son?" he prodded.

Jamie chewed on his bottom lip thoughtfully before deciding to just come out with it. "What's going on with Noble? Danny was by earlier to take my statement but he wouldn't tell me much."

They had waited until they had the okay from Jamie's doctors to officially take his statement. And with him less than a day from being discharged, Danny decided to come in and get it out of the way. Eddie had reported to them that he had been speaking to her and the hospital psychologist about the ordeal, but he hadn't been very expressive with the rest of the family and they certainly had not pushed him to talk...so long as he was talking to somebody, that was all that mattered. So Frank was surprised to hear Jamie asking about Sanfino and reacted automatically the way any father would. "You don't need to be worrying about that right now. All you need to worry about is getting better," he said.

Jamie couldn't help the annoyed sigh that passed through his lips. "I am getting better and I'm not gonna fall apart just because his name is mentioned," he argued.

Frank took a moment as a pair of blue eyes dared him to be less than forthright when answering his question. Jamie would find out anyway, Frank reasoned, and the boy did deserve to know what was happening. "I know you aren't. Your sister is working with the Brooklyn and Manhattan DAs to figure out how to charge him."

"What's to figure out?" he asked, while the list of charges was lengthy, it was all very clear cut and dry; he could even list them out for them.

"It's a unique set of circumstances what with him having been in WitSec."

"I get that, dad. But Noble needs to pay for what he did," Jamie declared. He was through cutting him any slack.

"And he will, Jamie," Frank assured him as he held his hands out to keep his son calm, "don't you doubt that for a second. But it's not just him we're worried about. A big public trial puts the spotlight on you and your part in taking down his family."

 _Oh_ , Jamie thought to himself as his shoulders sagged. With his brain being fried the past week, he'd forgotten about what trying Noble would mean for them, and not only the risk it put on his head with the two mob families, but both he and Eddie would have to testify as well.

Frank could see that he understood what they were dealing with, but he didn't want him worrying about it. "He's not getting away with any this," he promised. "I'll see to it myself. You just worry about getting better so you can hit the streets again." That was his next big hurdle to returning to normal.

Jamie nodded. He knew to never doubt his old man and as as much as he hated having to leave it in someone else's hands, there was no one else he trusted more to see to it that Noble was dealt with once and for all.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Eddie pushed the last box to be unpacked in front of the large bookcase of their new living room. They followed through with their plans to move, her mother jumping in to help them find a place after learning about what they went through, of course they had omitted some of the more harrowing details of the kidnapping; Antonija already had concerns about her daughter's choice of career and while she respected her decision, she didn't need to hear about Jamie's past encounter with the criminal element coming back to haunt them both. Antonija had reached out to her many real estate connections and scheduled them to view a handful of options in between both of their precincts just as soon as Jamie was physically up to the task, then fastracking the move-in process once they decided on a place with the speed and efficiency never seen before in the world of New York City real estate with, as Frank predicted, friends and family jumping in to help move them out of the little apartment Sanfino had tormented them in, all for the cost of a small tower of pizza pies and some choice craft beer.

Jamie had been released from the hospital after four days, once his vitals were stable and he was cleared by a psych consult with instructions to follow-up with his personal physician. In addition to needing his PCP's medical clearance, he would also require the department shrink to sign off on a full and clean bill of health before he was allowed anywhere near the 1-5. The hospital shrink had warned them that with the hallucinations he'd experienced and the residual nightmares that continued to plague his sleep, not to expect a quick return to work. That had been a hard pill to swallow with Jamie wanting to forget everything that happened and for their lives to return back to normal.

But despite his discharge from the hospital, Jamie was still feeling fatigued the week following his release, made worse by the nights of interrupted sleep. Like that night in the hospital when Eddie was first able to climb into bed with Jamie and provide him some desperately needed physical contact, he still sought that same reassurance once they'd returned home. They'd fall into a peaceful slumber each night physically connected somehow only to awaken abruptly when the same scenario revisited Jamie's dreams each night and they'd end up back in each other's arms cursing Noble for screwing with their lives. And just as Eddie gently prodded him to open up to her, Jamie was also mindful that he wasn't the only one left with emotional scars from their ordeal, making sure to prod back in equal measure.

Slowly the healing process began with the sessions with the department shrink, the prospect of a new place to call home and finally being able to reconnect intimately - much needed proof of their continued love and devotion. The nightmares decreased in frequency, the dark circles that had first appeared under his dull and sunken eyes back in the hospital gradually disappeared and the Jamie they all knew and loved was feeling more and more like himself every day. They wouldn't forget what happened but they weren't going to let it ruin them.

Eddie cut through tape and opened the flaps, pulling out the last of their books and photo albums. She lined each one up neatly by size, barely paying any attention to the subject matters and their contents until she reached the last one at the bottom - their wedding album. Eddie smiled to herself as she thought back to their wedding, the whole event still a vibrant memory in her mind. She pulled the album from the bottom of the box and sat back against the coffee table as she began to slowly leaf through each page. She felt silly but couldn't help tearing up at the image of them facing each other at the altar and reciting their vows. It was the happiest day of her life and the events of the last month made her a little more emotional. But the smile fell away suddenly when she came to what was one of her favorite photos of the night - the one of them on the roof of the Brooklyn building where their reception was held with the city skyline in the background. It was just the two of them, at least that was how it felt. Behind the the lens, there was a crowd of family and friends looking on, but the rest of the world fell away as they gazed into each other's eyes, still in utter disbelief that they were really husband and wife. But now, it was forever linked to that day they came home to discover Noble had been watching them and invading their lives on a daily basis. Eddie couldn't help feeling sad that such a treasured memory was now tarnished simply by the simple fact that Noble had left the album open to that photo.

Eddie was still staring at the album when the sound of the apartment door opening brought her back to the present. She looked over her shoulder to find Jamie stripping out of his jacket.

Jamie scanned the apartment, doing a double take when he spotted her head just over the edge of the couch and went to meet her. "Hey, babe."

"Hey, you," Eddie greeted, turning away to covertly wipe at her damp eyes before she sent a smile his way; the last thing he needed was to worry that something was wrong. Just like with Jamie, things were getting better for her as well, but every once in a while something would remind her of the torture Noble had put them both through. "Where have you been?" she asked as she glanced down at her watch. He'd left early in the morning after she got home from a midnight shift and they were now going into the late afternoon.

Jamie plopped down onto one end of the couch with a tired sigh. "Busy day," he said with a glimmer in his eye which Eddie knew meant he had something to report. "I saw Dr. Diamond again and then I had my last session with Amazing Grace."

Eddie's face perked up at one word in particular. "Last? Really?" she asked, praying she'd heard correctly.

"Yeah," Jamie smiled. "They both signed off on my return to full duty," he announced with immense relief.

"That's great, babe!" Eddie beamed at the news and placed their album on the floor before taking a spot on the couch next to him, greeting him properly with a kiss on the lips. Jamie had been going stir crazy at home even with everything that needed to get done to move and then settle in. And seeing her go off to work while he was riding the sidelines only made him more antsy. But the department took great steps to confirm their officers' mental well-being after traumatic work-related incidents before arming them and sending them back out to deal with the public, regardless of an officer's ties to 1PP, or maybe more so because of it. And this incident in particular involved the forced consumption of dangerous narcotics. Jamie had recovered physically within a week of his discharge from the hospital, but the lingering nightmares and stress had the shrink penciling him in for several extra sessions before she was willing to give him the green light to return to work.

"Yeah. I still have to do a few tours at the precinct, but it'll be good to have everything finally go back to normal," Jamie said as his hand went up to brush the few strands that had fallen free from her ponytail behind her ear. Jamie couldn't deny that he still looked for any extra reason to touch her, subconsciously he still sought the reassurance that she was really here with him.

"Normal would be nice," Eddie said as she snuggled up against him.

Jamie agreed wholeheartedly and went on to share more news that would hopefully help with that. "I had lunch with my dad in between the doctor's appointments."

"Yeah?"

"Yup. He told me Noble took a deal -"

Eddie shot up, her body rigid and her expression confused and bordering on angry. "A deal!? Seriously?! After what he did?!" she fumed.

Jamie smiled at her reaction as it was similar to the one he had when his father began to explain the situation to him in the same manner. "Relax, Janko. The only thing that made it a deal for him is that he agreed to go for the maximum on the two kidnapping one charges and the unlawful imprisonment charge for Leah. He's getting fifty-four years under the alias he got with witness protection and he will be getting transferred to a prison very far away from New York."

"As opposed to?" Eddie asked as she raised one brow and wondered about the alternative and why he was even offered a choice to begin with.

"As opposed to going to trial in New York under his real identity where he would most definitely be convicted of all charges and locked up in a New York state prison with his Uncle Sanfino or one of his many other cohorts," Jamie advised. "He may talk a big game, but Noble is still deathly afraid of what his Uncle Philly will do to him for helping to send him upstate. He'd rather spend the rest of his life in a jail on the other side of the country than risk being shanked in a New York prison."

Understanding crossed her face and she relaxed a little, but she still didn't completely like the idea of the creep's life being spared for the third time, not after what he did. Ultimately, Eddie wasn't one to wish death on anyone, but she was still dealing with the emotional aftermath and just the mention of his name made her blood boil. "That really is a deal for him."

"He's going away for a really long time and we don't need to worry about testifying and drawing anymore attention from that family."

Eddie nodded and the remaining tension flowed out of her. She agreed that all of that was a good thing and worth cutting a 'deal' with Sanfino. Neither of them needed to relive their experiences in front of a jury and become the focus of another crazy mobster because they recognized Jamie.

Jamie felt Eddie relax against the cushions. He hated to be the source of more worry, but figured he should come clean now instead of delaying the inevitable. "I saw him," he confessed quietly.

"Who?" Eddie asked in confusion, but his face said she wasn't going to like what he had to say and she narrowed her eyes as she guessed the answer to her own question. "Noble? Why, Jamie?!"

Jamie grimaced at the underlying anger in her tone. In this case, he figured it would be better to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission. Eddie and the rest of the Reagan clan would never have let him go through with seeing Noble again if they'd caught wind of his intentions. His father had only learned about it because someone in corrections had reported his request for a visit back to 1PP as instructed. The Commissioner himself had ordered that all visitors for Eric Weller be strictly prohibited and any requests for visits be directed to his office. "I had to in order to put this behind me," Jamie defended. And that was the truth, he needed closure and part of him needed to make sure Noble knew he hadn't broken him.

Jamie fought hard not to wither under her piercing look...sometimes her stare-downs were as bad as his father's, that and he hated to prospect of finding himself on the couch tonight. "Don't give me that look, Eddie! Now you're reminding me of my father when he interrogated me on where I was going after lunch." The old man had grilled him, knowing full well of what his plans were. It had taken some doing to plead his case, but his father had eventually agreed to let him go, just not without a few concessions. "I'm fine. I even got escorted there and back by the Commissioner himself, if that makes you feel any better."

Eddie was upset that he'd gone through with this without telling her about it first. Had she known, she would have locked him in their apartment until Sanfino was shipped out; he knew full well there was no way she would be on board with that idea. "Jamie...," Eddie sighed, trying to understand what there was left to say to that monster.

"I needed to look him in the face one last time...," Jamie said as he began to explain their final meeting.

 _Jamie sat nervously in one of the small prisoner meeting rooms at Rikers, his right leg bouncing up and down uncontrollably as he reconsidered this whole idea or, at the very least, have allowed his father come in with him like he wanted. Danny had told him about his impromptu visit with Noble in the emergency room and it seemed that the Commissioner had made quite the impression, as he so often did, regardless of whether it was intended or not, but in this case, Jamie had no doubt that his father made an extra effort to let Noble know he'd messed with the wrong family._

 _He wasn't sure what he expected from Noble, he wasn't holding his breath for any apologies, but he also hadn't come here to give him a chance to speak. There were a few things he needed to get off his chest once and for all and to make it clear: they would not be seeing each other ever again._

 _Jamie stilled when the door to the room opened and a rather disheveled-looking Noble Sanfino was led in by a corrections officer. Surprise flashed across his face when his eyes landed on his visitor as the guard had refused to give him any information on who he was meeting. But Noble was a seasoned pro at hiding his weaknesses and his mask quickly slid into place._

 _Noble glared at his former captive with disgust. "What the hell do you want?"_

 _Jamie remained in his seat, observing quietly as the officer forced Noble into the seat across from him and secured his cuffs to the table._

 _Noble broke the silence when Jamie made no move to speak after the guard left them alone. "You here to gloat? Rub it in my face a little, huh?" he guessed. Why else would he be here? Noble asked himself._

 _"Is that what you'd do?" Jamie asked calmly._

 _Noble's jaw clenched several times but he couldn't keep himself from squirming uncomfortably in his puke-green prison jumpsuit as he looked away from Jamie's endless stare._

 _"Heard you're moving out in the next few days, going back west. Must be a relief after being in solitary confinement for the last three weeks," Jamie commented._

 _Noble smiled tightly and shook his head at the other man's casual tone. "Yeah, well, you people haven't given me much a choice on anything here."_

 _Jamie didn't react to the asinine statement and wondered how Noble could still think he was owed anything after all that he had done...he really hadn't changed. "I think you were given one hell of an opportunity to start fresh in Colorado. After screwing up your stint in WitSec, I almost expected you to take your chances with a New York jury. Can't say I have much faith in your decision-making skills."_

 _"That would have been a death sentence and you know it!" Noble spat back._

 _"As opposed to traipsing back to New York on your own?" Jamie questioned._

 _"I had a plan -"_

 _"Yeah, you did, to torture me and my wife and for what, Noble?" Jamie interrupted._

 _"You lied to -" Noble began to cry again, but Jamie had heard that line one too many times._

 _"Listen to me real closely," Jamie warned in a low and menacing voice, "becuase I'm only going to say this once." He gave Noble a second to meet his glare. "You were never innocent in any of that. You weren't collateral damage in an operation to bring your uncle down, he just did a good job of keeping your hands clean for you and you kept your mouth shut on every crime he committed. You got to live the good life because of it at everyone else's expense. No one screwed you over, you screwed yourself."_

 _Noble's lips were pressed into a thin, tight line. "Almost took you down," he argued lamely._

 _"Almost is the key word. But somehow I still managed to beat your ass even while I was drugged out of my mind. I think it was because you can't shut your trap for longer than two seconds, so thanks for that," Jamie smiled smugly as he got up from his seat. He turned to leave the room, but remembered one other thing he wanted to make clear. Jamie spun around and placed both hands on the table, leaning in slowly to get closer to the other man so that his whispered words were heard only by his intended audience._

 _Noble head moved back as he nervously recalled that night three weeks ago when Jamie Reagan leaned over him, his cold, blue eyes left little doubt in his mind that he could very well kill him. Those same cold, blue eyes were focused on him again._

 _"You're probably never gonna see the light of day again as a free man, but let me assure you that if I ever see you near me or my family again, I will kill you." Jamie stood tall and looked at Noble for the last time. "That's a promise."_

"Well...," Eddie said a she took his hand in hers. Jamie seemed at peace and if seeing Noble one last time got him some closure, she was all for it.

Jamie knew he was forgiven and broke the last of the news for the day. "I also found out something else," he announced.

Eddie wondered what else there was left. "What's that?"

"The Feds arrested the kid that hacked into the department for Noble," Jamie informed her.

"What do you mean a kid?"

Jamie shrugged. "Some twenty year old computer genius from the town Noble had been relocated to."

"Seriously? Twenty?"

"Yeah...what a waste," Jamie said. He had been happy to hear that Noble's source for their personnel files had been located. And while it was disturbing that a college junior had figured out how to break into a major law enforcement agency's server, he was relieved to know that it didn't involve anyone within the department.

"Maybe he can get a cell right next to Noble," Eddie joked as she settled back into Jamie's arms.

Jamie kissed the side of her head and looked to the open box she had been unpacking when he arrived. "Is that the last one?" he asked with a nod to the box.

"Sure is. Then we'll be officially moved in."

"I'm glad your mom helped us find this place," Jamie commented. And while the paranoid part of his brain sometimes obsessed over the normal, everyday items in their new apartment, he was more at ease now that they had moved.

"Me too. It's bigger than our old place."

"Yeah," Jamie said as a smile spread across his face. "Too bad it's only one bedroom."

"Why's that?" Eddie asked. They had no need for an extra bedroom.

"Guess we'll have to move again when we decide to have kids," he replied innocently. He wasn't in a rush to have kids, but the possibility of losing Eddie, losing everything really, had him looking forward to a long life with his wife, one that included multiple mini-versions of themselves, if they were lucky. And if that happened sooner rather than later, he would be totally fine with that.

Eddie's head snapped up to face him. "Kids? I thought we said no kid talk for one year?"

"We did. That's the plan. Just saying...," Jamie shrugged.

Eddie snorted as she laid her head on his shoulder. "How about we just keep practicing to make the baby without making the baby like we said?"

Jamie pulled her closer to him...everything was starting to feel right again and his lips formed a devilish smirk as the playful spark that was a regular part of their relationship ignited a deep passion within.

Eddie let out a squeak when suddenly, in the blink of an eye, she found herself flat on her back with Jamie's body pinning her to the sofa. Jamie nuzzled her neck, placing a trail of soft kisses up one side that were making it hard to think clearly. "Reagan, what...oh...the hell?" she stammered breathily when he hit a particularly sensitive spot behind her ear.

"You said it yourself, Janko, we gotta practice, practice, practice...," he rasped, determined to put an end to all of this talking.

"I didn't mean...oh...jeez...," Eddie gasped, losing her train of thought again as a warm hand found its way under her shirt. "We are so gonna end up with a kid sooner than-," Eddie predicted when Jamie's lips captured hers in kiss that stole her breath away. Deep in the back of her mind, all doubt was gone; she knew they would be okay. They could face anything together.

* * *

 _That's it! My longest story to date, but nothing compared to some of the epic pieces we've had the pleasure of reading on this site recently...you know who you are. I hope I dealt with Noble in a semi-satisfactory way. I agree with most reviewers that throwing him to his family of wolves would have been the preferable option, but in keeping with the spirit of the show, I went with the 'deal' that was offered to him. If Blue Bloods had much darker undertones, Noble never would have survived!_

 _I got two stories in the works that I'm very excited about, neither quite_ _as long as 'No Mercy,' but both which should be more warm and fuzzy than what I've been posting lately. The first one is short and a mostly feel-good piece which I will be posting as soon as the last chapter is done. The second will take a while; I have a few chapters done for the story that follows 'Waiting on You' and gives us a peek at life with baby Amelia. Then's there certain collaboration idea that's popped up which should be exciting. :)_

 _Thanks again to BlueBlood82 and to everyone who has reviewed and followed/favorited this story!_


End file.
